#she also likes dive into you and a few more tracks from the hot sauce album

[neo-shitty]

🍃.

[shreddedparchment]

Man and Wife Pt.09

The Surprise Visit

04/23/2019

Pairing: Bucky x Reader          Word Count: 11,982

*Masterpost in Notes      Warnings: violence, language, a smidge of angst, pregnancy cuteness, pregnancy scariness, pregnancy cuteness again, spilled tomato sauce

A/N: So, I asked myself; Do they want it now? Or should I make a third pass of edits? I thought you guys might say, “NOW!” so, I’m posting it now. I’ll edit again tomorrow however, so, heads up! I hope you all like this one. You asked for less angst and I give less angst but there’s still some because come one, it needs to be there, story wise. If you happen to reblog, thanks so much for helping me spread my work! xoxo P.S. I’m so sorry I didn’t respond to the comments for part 8! I love y’all!

“Excuse me? Miss! Shit. Hold on.” The chair squeaks loudly as Bucky rises, making himself as small as possible as he lumbers towards the redheaded waitress who’d just left you.

Your heart shakes as you watch him chase after her; tall, strong arms, milky skin. She’s beautiful. You force yourself to focus on Bucky instead. You know why he’s up and you remind yourself that he’s here with you.

Your lips curve up into a small smile as you watch Bucky try hard to be as nonthreatening as possible but still the waitress gasps when she turns around and falls against the register. Bucky holds his hands up and you can tell that he’s apologizing. His cheeks flame red and you feel a twinge of deep affection at his cuteness but also the sting of pain because people are still afraid of him.

He tucks his metal hand behind him, holding it away from the waitress as he gestures towards you and then moves back as the woman sidles along the counter and back into the kitchen of the small sandwich shop you and Bucky had come to for lunch.

You reach down to tug your shirt more tightly over your still teeny tiny bump. You’re not really showing yet. Everyone who doesn’t know you might think you’d just had a big lunch. But to your friends, they see you and they know instantly.

You’re still small enough that your shirt fits loosely around you but because you know the baby’s in there, you fuss over your stomach. The jean cut-off shorts are shorter than you normally wear but Spring seems to be heating up quickly and your hormones must be raging because you’re hot a lot of the time now.

You fuss with your shirt more, thin black and white striped shirt with three-quarter sleeves, making sure not to let the loose cuff around your forearm dip into your ranch. A small stack of sliced tomatoes just waiting to be dipped beside it.

You grab one, holding it carefully between your thumb and index finger, dip it lightly, and savor the flavors as they fall across your tongue.

Moaning with contentment, your stomach fluttering as your hunger pangs grow stronger, Bucky turns towards you at the sound. Even all the way across the shop he can hear your whispered cry of satisfaction.

He smiles at you, watching you chew, then turns back to the redhead as she holds out a small white bowl for him to take.

“Thank you!” He says, too excited but he hurries back towards you and slides into his chair, making it squeak against the floor again. “Here you go, kitten.”

He places the bowl of pickles beside the one with tomato.

“Thank you.” Being this happy with Bucky again…you hadn’t thought it would be possible. You watch him pull his plate closer but after every adjustment he makes to his food, he reaches over and fixes something on your plate. Or he grabs you a napkin and places it on your too exposed legs. Or he pushes your pickles closer. Or he assess the fullness of your lemonade.

You finally chuckle. “Bucky just eat. I’m fine.”

He stops, staring at you as you shove another tomato into your mouth, quickly followed by a plain dill pickle slice and you can almost see the swell of pride as he sits up straighter, breathes in deeply, and then relaxes.

“Okay.” He sighs and finally takes a bite of his sandwich.

The walk into the park is nice. Bucky shoves his hands into the pockets of his black jeans to keep from reaching over and taking your hand.

It’s only been two weeks since you and he “made up”. Things aren’t exactly right yet but they’re on their way and you’re happy. Well…you’re happy until-

“You’re Bucky Barnes, right?” A cool sweet voice stops the two of you in your tracks.

You told him that hat wouldn’t hide him.

“Er…yeah.” Bucky replies, staring at the young brunette. She’s petite, tiny compared to him but the curve of her body tells you she’s woman enough.

“Can I take a picture with you? My cousin has such a crush on you!” She gushes not sparing you a glance.

“Oh um, okay.” Bucky replies nervously and you quickly move aside as the girl settles into the crook of his right arm.

You swallow hard, trying not to let this upset you. She’s a fan. No big deal…right?

But you can’t watch as two more girls hurry forward, friends of the first apparently. You turn away from them and keep walking.

It’s silly. It’s stupid. It’s embarrassing and completely unexpected, but you’re crying as you walk away. The ache in your chest cannot be silenced.

His jogging feet shift along the cement pathway, creating a consistent scrape, scrape, scrape, sound as he catches up with you.

“Sorry about that, I-Y/N?”

You look away from him as he leans forward, trying to get a look at your face.

“Are you crying?”

“I think I wanna go home now.” You mumble, your voice thick around the lump in your throat.

This isn’t your first date with Bucky. For the first he’d really stuck to the cliché. Movie, dinner, and then drinks after, though that had been tea for you and a soda for him. When you’d asked him why he wasn’t going to have a real drink, he shook his head.

“I don’t drink anymore.”

“But…you can’t even get drunk?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Why are you crying?” He asks, moving to stand in front of you to stop your progress.

Angrily you wipe at your cheeks, hating your body for betraying you like this.

Bucky’s head scans the people behind you. “Is it because of those girls?”

You say nothing, afraid of sounding stupid or worse, like a jealous wife. It’s only when Bucky’s warm hands burn through the sleeves of your shirt that you look at him.

“Y/N? Please don’t shut me out. You’re upset. Tell me why.”

He’s right. You shouldn’t keep this to yourself. Not like before.

“Is it really okay f-for me to tell you?”

“Of course, kitten. If I’m doing something or if I’ve said something-”

“I don’t like you taking pictures with hot girls.”

Bucky looks over your head again, searching for his fans.

“Hot?” He asks, confused. He takes a moment, he’s so silent that you think maybe you’ve angered him but when you look at his face, you see the pucker between his eyes as he thinks. “Okay.”

“Okay?” You ask, still staring up at him.

“Okay.” He nods. “No more pictures with fans. Female fans.”

Your mind explodes with glee and then you can see the reality of what you’re asking him. You can see the forums and comment sections of articles and pictures of Bucky with male fans. You can almost hear the disdain on tumblr and Instagram as his intense fan base spouts hate because his controlling wife is so jealous that he won’t take pictures with girls anymore.

“No.” You sigh, shaking your head. “No, Bucky, you can’t do that. They’ll hate me.”

“Who will?”

“Everyone.” You rub your belly, protective of the little one within. You know it’s stupid to fear these faceless people. They don’t actually know who you are, but they know he has a wife. You hate the idea of anyone sending you negative vibes with the baby coming. “I just wanna go home.”

You stare at his chest, unwilling to look up and see the disappointment in his face. Hot hands cup your cheeks, strong thumbs—one cool, one blazing—rub rough circles as they wipe away tears. The gesture does what he wants, it makes you look at him.

“I love you, Y/N. Please don’t doubt that.”

“You’re expecting too much from me, Bucky. You cheated on me. I saw you in bed with someone else. Our bed. I can’t erase that or how it made me feel. I already thought I wasn’t good enough for you-”

He growls but it’s not directed at you, he steps closer, all care of who may be watching flying out the window. “I love you. I’m sorry that you had to see me that way. It’s not something that I ever thought I would do—I won’t make excuses because I can’t but please never say that again.”

“Say what?”

“That you aren’t good enough for me. You are so good, Y/N. Too good. It’s me who doesn’t deserve you.” He suddenly straightens up and sees that a few people are watching. He renews the distance between you and sighs. “Are you free next Wednesday?”

You’re so fucking free. Since quitting your job, you’ve taken on some editing gigs to tide you over but you’re officially out of a job. You nod.

“I want you to meet my therapist. I want you there at my next session.”

“For what?” You wonder, excited that he wants you at something so private but also worried that the doctor will tell you that you’re the reason everything went wrong in your marriage.

“Because I want you to see me, Y/N. And I want you to see the way I see you.”

“Hello again, Y/N.”

“Hello, Dr. Garza.” You take your seat to Bucky’s right. He’s already sitting but he pulls a pillow over for you so that you can lean back against it on the long black sofa. “I’m okay, Bucky.”

“Sorry.” He says and pulls his hands back between he knees. He looks so handsome in his dark gray jeans and bright red t-shirt.

As you fix the pillow, you look up at the doc to see her watching Bucky with keen eyes. You’ve been here three times already and you definitely understand Bucky much more. You see his self-hatred and that alone breaks your heart.

You heard all about his worries for you and can see yourself through his eyes a bit better but mostly that just makes you feel like you’re weak and still—despite his reassurances—ill-suited for him.

“Why are you fussing over Y/N, Bucky?” Dr. Garza dives right in, no waiting and you still beside Bucky, looking to him as you and she both wait for his answer.

Bucky blushes. “I…just want her to be comfortable.”

“What made you think she wasn’t?”

“Nothing. I guess I-I feel guilty.”

You’re in utter awe at the way Dr. Garza can pull these words out of Bucky. He’s getting better at telling you things clearly. Speaking his truth. There are way fewer misunderstandings between the two of you. Less bickering though women are still a problem. And men.

~~~~~~~~~~

You struggle in the aisle, reaching up high to try and grab the large box of paper. Buying in bulk is a necessity. Since you’re on your own now, you have to pay for the expense of printing out manuscripts on your own.

You groan, pushing yourself up higher on your tiptoes and manage to get the box to the edge when it suddenly comes barreling towards you, twenty pounds of premium no-smudge paper. You let out a squeak of fear, throwing your arms up over your head but curling in on yourself to shield your tummy from harm.

The box never lands. You feel hot heavy breath hit the top of your head and strong body heat wrapped around your right side. Relief warms you; Bucky had saved you!

Only it wasn’t Bucky. Just a man. No one you know. He’s taller than you, not as tall as Bucky, a soft body—this guy is like you, he doesn’t work out. His blonde hair is long, though nowhere near as long as Bucky’s. His startled brown eyes stare down at you with worry.

“Are you okay, miss?”

You nod. “Y-yes.”

“Hey!” Bucky’s voice cuts through the aisle and you jump, startled by it. Almost as if you were caught doing something wrong.

He’s at your side instantly, moving between you and the man who saved your head. You watch his face and see him glare death at your rescuer.

“What happened?” He asks, then turns his eyes on you, full of concern.

“I was trying to get the box and it fell.”

“I just caught the box, man. She’s okay.” You can hear the tremble in the man’s voice and feel bad for him. Today, Bucky has made no attempt to hide his metal arm. He’s wearing an old black t-shirt, the sleeves cut off and a pair of gray joggers pants.

Bucky takes the box from the guy’s hands roughly, standing much too close to you—not that you mind too much. He looks really fucking good in that shirt and those pants—clearly displaying his claim.

“Yeah, thanks for saving my wife, bud.” Bucky’s words are kind, but his tone is a downright threat.

All sweat and stutters, the man nods, gives you a nervous smile and when Bucky drops the box of paper into your cart, the man jumps then turns and scurries away.

“That wasn’t nice.” You tell him. “He was just trying to help me.”

“I know he was.” Bucky says, and in one of the only moments that you let him show you affection, he reaches up and tucks your hair behind your ear, slipping his hand around your waist. “I thanked him.”

“You threatened him, Bucky.”

“You’re impossible to resist protecting. You bring that out in people, you know that? Especially guys.”

“Don’t be stupid.” You scoff and turn away from him to push your cart into the next aisle. He falls in step behind you.

“I’m serious. It’s like people can’t help it.”

By people, you know that he means Henry. You can hear the drag in his voice as he tries to sound as nonchalant as possible.

You stop, turn to face him, leaning against the cart so that the long handle pokes into your back.

“Bucky, I only slept with H-” His eyes are ice-fire, searing and angry. “-with him because I’d known him for so long. I used to like him. I wanted to be with him at one point. I’m not going to sleep with some random guy I just met.”

Of course, the irony of the sentence you just spoke is not lost on you and Bucky’s eyes soften. The fire of rage extinguished as he laughs once.

You laugh too. Squeezing your eyes shut before you open them again to watch him smile.

“No.” Bucky agrees but he moves towards you and turns you around so that you start to walk again, pushing the cart. He leans in towards your ear, his hands and arms right beside your own on that cart’s handle. “Not again, huh?”

You give in, the moment too good to pass up. You lean back, letting him walk with you, relishing in the comforting warmth of his hard chest. “Never again.”

~~~~~~~~~~

“Why?” Dr. Garza wonders.

You try not to look at Bucky when he’s baring his soul. He doesn’t need the added pressure of you staring at him.

“Because of what I did. Sleeping with P-” He stops, like you did in the office supply store, knowing that hearing her name will bring you pain. “-with that other woman.”

“Y/N?”

You look up, surprised to be addressed when all the sessions before had taken place as if you weren’t sitting in the room with them.

“Yes?”

“How does Bucky’s fussing make you feel?”

You swallow hard, hesitant about speaking the truth.

“There are no secrets in this room, Y/N. We don’t hide how we feel. We speak it aloud. From what I understand, you’ve always had a problem with telling Bucky how you’re feeling?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Why?”

“I was afraid.” You admit, staring at Dr. Garza and only her. You can feel Bucky’s eyes on you though, his body angled towards you.

“Of what?”

“Of making him angry. Of-fighting over nothing. Of being a nuisance?”

“You’re not a nuisance, Y/N.” Bucky rushes to say. “How can you-?”

“Bucky.” The doc says sternly, and he clenches his jaw, shutting himself up. “Let’s not interrupt Y/N when she’s talking. I want you to really hear her, okay? And wait until she’s finished before replying.”

Bucky nods.

“Why did you feel that way, Y/N? What made you think that you’d be a nuisance to Bucky?”

You laugh once, a scoff more than anything, but it isn’t bitter, just an exclamation of exasperation. A duh. “Look at him.”

Even with his face all scrunched up, body curled toward you as he fights his urge to reach out to you, he’s visual perfection. Guy that look like Bucky don’t date girls like you, much less marry them. Or so your experience has taught you.

“Bucky is the most handsome man I’ve ever met. And he married me? It’s-I’ve pinched myself a million times trying to see if it was a dream.” You shake your head.

“Is that the only reason that you married Bucky?”

“No! Of course not. His…I didn’t even like him when I first met him. I thought he was a pervert.” You admit, and this time you smile.

“Why?”

Bucky’s also smiling and he meets your eyes. The two of you laugh and Bucky clears his throat. “We sort of met in an unconventional sort of way. I tripped and went headfirst into her chest. She was wearing this low pink V-cut bathing suit. It was pleasant for me. Not so much for Y/N.”

Your cheeks burn. “I didn’t fall for him until he showed up with a bandage for my foot. I’d skinned it when I was walking around the lazy river ride, with the tubes? I’d been limping around on it and Bucky found me. Apologized for the way we met, and then dressed my foot.

“I knew who he was. I’d been a fan before. His story, although I’ve learned more details recently about his experiences, it moved me. So, when I met him, I wasn’t afraid of him like some of my friends in high school had been. All I saw was this sweet guy trying to apologize for shoving his face into my boobs.

“It was that more than anything that drew me in. He was so careful with me, so easy with his smile. I really did fall in love with you that day, Bucky. And when I agreed to marry you, I-I knew that it would be hard, but I never expected this to happen.”

And suddenly, you’re crying, your chest burning with pain and remorse because you did it to him too. You hurt him the way he hurt you. And yours…it feels worse because from what he’s said, the woman he’d slept with had been convenience. She’d just been there.

Henry for you had been deeper. A buildup and culmination of four years of pent up attraction. Emotions had been involved there. You’d liked Henry.

“So,” Dr. Garza says carefully. “How does Bucky’s fussing make you feel, Y/N?”

You turn to look at her, tearing your eyes away from Bucky as your tears continue to pour, rapid falls carving salty divots.

“Guilty. I hurt him too. I should have done more. I should have told you that I don’t like being away from you for days on end. I should have told you that when you leave me in the mornings, it feels like you’re choosing other people over me. I shouldn’t feel that way because I know that Steve and Sam are important to you. But it was too much. You were gone for days and then you still chose to be with them over me when you were finally home? And I should have told you that it was hurting me.”

“I’m so sorry, Y/N.” Bucky’s face is contorted with agony, his right hand reaches out for your left and you take it, you squeeze it. You hold on for dear life because this man is everything. He’s your life, your family, your home, and he’s hurting too.

“I should have told you that I wasn’t well.” He speaks in a whisper, the room already so quiet, it’s easy to hear him. “You had already done so much for me—I wasn’t having nightmares anymore. I was able to get through the day without a spazzing out, but I still wasn’t safe for you. I was still terrified of hurting you.”

“Why then? Why did you sleep with her?”

Bucky shuts his eyes and hangs his head, squeezing your hand tighter.

“It’s like you handpicked her to check all of the boxes for everything that I’m insecure about. I know that I’m not athletic. I can’t fight someone off. I can’t lift a twenty-pound box over my head. My muscles are soft and I’m not as fierce as you wish I was.”

“You’re perfect, Y/N. Just.As.You.Are.” Bucky insists, gritting his teeth as tears fall from his eyes too. They pool at the edges then spill over, falling on your hand. “I-For a moment I did wish that you were stronger, that you were l-like one of the agents I work with if only because I can’t bear to leave you unprotected. I told you the other day that you bring an instinctive urge out in people to want to protect you and in me…the thought of anything happening to you fills me with so much dread that sometimes I can’t sleep at night.

“Every moment that I spend away from you feels like a lifetime. I am not at ease unless I know that you’re safe and that is on me. It’s not a responsibility that I should have tried to put on you. I love you, just as you are. You are all that I want. Every single moment I spent with that woman was torture. I just needed to stop thinking. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

He pulls your hand up to his lips and kisses it, clinging to your hand as if his life depends on it.

For a few minutes the two of you simply cry together.

“Y/N?” Dr. Garza pulls your attention back to her. “Do you believe that Bucky loves you? Truly?”

You look back at Bucky and the blue in his eyes seems to swirl and melt, pained adoration flowing from them as he stares right back at you. You nod.

“Yes.” You weep, inhaling a shuddering breath.

“Bucky? Do you believe that Y/N loves you?”

He’s already nodding. “Yes. I do.”

You don’t know why that makes you so happy. Your chest tightens and then bursts with relief. You scoot closer, and Bucky already knows what to do. He leans in, the two of you kiss, just a quick fierce peck, before he pulls you tight against his chest.

Your weak arms, wrapped around his torso, squeeze him harder than you’ve ever squeezed before. And you know that this doesn’t fix things. You know that there is still going to be so much struggle and hard work to overcome. The thought of Bucky sitting next to a beautiful girl still fills you with terror just as another man saving you from harm must fill him with agony.

It’ll be a work in progress but for the first time since you agreed to give Bucky a chance again, to go on a date with him, you feel confident that he will choose you and not because of your baby, but for you.

The idea of going back to the apartment, of moving back into that place where your world ended, is unthinkable. You don’t go back.

At six months pregnant, you and Bucky are doing much better. You see him nearly every day. His presence at Casey’s is starting to grate on her nerves but she��s a good sport about it and tries not to glare at him too much.

Physical contact has returned too. Bucky can take your hand and you don’t pull it away. He can hug you, rest his hands on your belly over your shirt, and it’s alright.

He talks to the baby. A mystery because both you and Bucky have decided to wait until the they’re born to find out if it’s a boy or girl. It doesn’t really matter either way. You’re both just happy to have them coming.

Since that day in Dr. Garza’s office however, you and Bucky haven’t kissed again. You’re not sure who among the two of you is resisting. You don’t know if you would tell him no again, and Bucky doesn’t try.

It’s been weeks since Bucky’s gone out on mission. He’s doing it for you. You know he is. Sometimes, when he’s visiting at Casey’s, he gets a phone call and moves to your window to stare out at the front of the building.

He does it again today. He’s laughing, his lips pressed against your bump as the baby in your belly moves. “Ooh, that was a fart.”

“No, it wasn’t!” Bucky protests. Refusing to believe that his baby is farting all day in your belly.

“Yes, it was.” Another small bump pops up, right against his lips. “Eeewwwwwww! The baby just farted into your mouth!”

Bucky throws his head back and laughs, his hands placed on either side of your tummy, the white t-shirt stretched taught over your swollen belly. He’s laying to your left, leaning over your thighs so that he can caress his baby comfortably.

You chuckle with him, your laugh quieter as you enjoy the vision and sound of his melodic laughter. A deep baritone, smooth and easy.

His phone rings, and your laughter dies almost instantly. Bucky’s trails off slowly as he reaches into his pocket to fish out his phone.

The shift in his eyes as he reads the name on the screen would be imperceptible to anyone but you. A hardness ices his blues. He kisses your belly one more time then scoots to the edge of the bed as he swipes his fingers across the heated glass.

He’s on his feet, moving towards your window as you push yourself to sit up straight against the headboard of your bed. Your hands move along your tummy, smoothing the wrinkles of your shirt.

“Hello?” Bucky looks at you and smiles as the other person on the phone talks quickly.

You return his smile though it doesn’t reach your eyes.

He mouths, Sorry.

You shake your head.

“No.” Bucky says sternly, turning his back on you to look out the window. “I said no, Steve. I’m not going.”

You can see the tension roll down along Bucky’s wide shoulders. He holds the phone with his metal hand, his right held up against the windowsill as he squeezes the wood. Steve must be trying to convince him to go on whatever mission they’re about to run.

“Bucky-?” You probe, intent on telling him to go. He’s been by your side long enough. He has to do his job. He might not like it all the time, but it’s in his blood. And you’ve learned more about Elias and this fight is personal for Bucky.

Bucky had confessed not long after that breakthrough session with Dr. Garza that Elias was Swiss. He’d been found by an unknown party in the back room of the same Siberian Hydra facility where Zemo had lured him, Steve, and Tony to.

He’d killed all the other Winter Soldiers before they’d even arrived, save for one, hidden in a back room behind a secret door; Elias. Fucking Hydra and their secret doors.

The difference between Bucky and Elias is that Bucky at his core is inherently good. He wants to help, save, build, and love. Elias had been plucked from some criminal group, already an elite trained assassin, and made more deadly with Super Soldier Serum.

The Avengers have been chasing him across Europe for the better part of a year. Now, with your one-year wedding anniversary weeks away, Elias had snuck into the States and after you and Bucky reconciled, have been pursing without Bucky’s help.

“I’ll come look at the tapes, Steve, but I’m not going. I’m right where I should be.” He says, almost angry. “I’ll be right there.”

He hangs up and you sit up straighter, resting only your right hand on your stomach as Bucky turns back towards you.

“You have to go?” You know he does.

“Yeah. It’s getting late anyway.” Bucky sighs, clearly hesitant to leave your side. “But I’ll be back in the morning.”

“Bucky,” You reach out for his hand and he takes it. As you sit up, throwing your legs over the edge of the bed to sit, he sits beside you. Right beside you, and your heart flutters. He intertwines his fingers with yours and you love it so much you sit and enjoy it for a few silent seconds.

“I don’t wanna go.” He assures you.

“I know that.” You sigh lightly and pull your eyes away from his hand tangled with yours. His own eyes are searching, his rose-pink lips slightly parted. “But you should go with them.”

“What?” He’s surprised. Why? You know why.

“You should go with them. You’ve spent the past two months with me. You haven’t gone on any missions-”

“Because I want to fix this. I want to show you that you’re all I want.”

“And you have, babe. But I don’t want to feel like I’m taking you away from your own life. You had one before you met me, and I never wanted you to feel like I was trying to make you give that up. I just wanted to be included.”

He looks down at the floor by your feet, a pained frown overtaking his features. You let his hand go and reach up to wrap it around the back of his head, gentle fingers trailing into the short soft tufty hairs at the nape of his neck. He shuts his eyes, his face relaxed of all stress with your touch.

“And you have included me. I know why you tried to keep me at a distance now. We can work through that. It won’t be easy but I’m willing to try if you are.”

“Of course, I wanna try.” Bucky sighs. “But what if I come back and I’m…that night we fought, when I yelled at you-what if that happens again?”

“It might. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

He meets your eyes, blue fire boring into your soul. He scans your face, memorizing the shape of your brow, the plump of your lip, the curve of your nose. You do the same. He’s so damn beautiful. Even in his pain and uncertainty, he’s not perfect. And you love him for it.

“Next time.” You sigh, giving up. As his left hand finds your belly, and his right arm wraps around your back, he nods. “I’ll go to the next one. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Bucky’s been gone for a hot minute. The night is late, and you can hear the emptiness of the rooms around you. Casey always stays with Sam the night before a mission, not that you blame her, but you also hate the solitude of the empty house.

You move back down the hallway, headed back to your room after having to pee for what feels like the tenth time tonight. You caress your tummy but yawn and speak. “Move off my bladder, ducky, mommy wants to sleep.”

With half-lidded eyes, you meander back into your room, sit on the bed, and yawn once more. You reach over to shut off your lamp when a shift in the dark corner by the very same window that Bucky had stood by earlier today catches your eye.

“Bucky?” You ask hopefully, stupidly, because if Bucky were here, he would have come found you in the bathroom or he’d be waiting on the bed. Why would he be hiding in the corner?

Your heart stops and restarts at supersonic speeds as a large looming man steps forward wearing tattered brown rags that might have been a uniform of some sort at some point, a ripped vest with the distinct marks of previous bullets hitting the armor, and no shoes. His skin is dirty, covered in patches of black tar? Dirt, dried blood, and his blonde hair stands at hard odd angles, crusted with grime.

Your eyes quickly find his bright green eyes, piercing, the color of lethal toxin set ablaze. You get no comfort in his green like you do in Casey’s. You can feel the hate radiating off of him, the ill-intent, the violence to come.

Your left hand flies to pull open the drawer of your nightstand, Barnes sitting just inside.

As your right hand flies for the gun, a disgusting dirty one grabs your wrist, squeezing so tight you cry out. You let your instinct drive you and pull your left leg up hard and fast, driving it between the man’s legs.

He groans and drops your hand. You grab the gun, but you don’t get to lift it as the full force of his back-hand swing throws you clear over the bed. You don’t think. You just curl. You wrap yourself around your stomach as your body falls hard against the wall then onto the floor. Something is broken. You can feel it. A finger? Your whole arm? You’re a body of bruises already from one single stupid hit.

Gasping you pull yourself up weakly, Barnes still clutched in your left hand. It takes all the strength in your body to pull yourself up to sit, to lean your arms on the bed and aim. You pull the trigger and it echoes around you filling the air with the acrid burn of gunpowder and the rust of blood.

The man cries out as he reaches up to grab his shoulder. After a long glare at you, his green eyes full of enmity, he disappears through your bedroom doorway. You don’t hear his exit, but you hear the front door burst open.

How long you stay like that you don’t know. You’re shaking, terrified, crying, hurting, and frozen. It feels like hours before you’re finally able to move.

You cry out as you straighten up and then curl in on yourself as you move around the bed, limping because you’d hit your right foot hard against the wall. You’re still sobbing as you find your phone, your hand still a vice around Barnes.

With your phone held tight in your right hand, and the shaking index finger of your left hand, you scroll through the names on your phone and look for The Perv. Barnes’s metal hits the edge of your phone because there is no way that you are letting it go.

He picks up after one ring.

“Hold on, Steve. Y/N? What’s the matter, baby? Can’t sleep?” You’re not unaware of how relaxed and happy he sounds, finally around his friends after devoting himself to you so wholly these past two months. However, you can’t help the wracking sobs that tear through your lump ridden throat at the sound of his voice.

“Y/N?!” He yells, the worry making his voice rise.

“What is it?” Sam asks.

“Bucky?” Nat.

You’re finally able to find your voice after a few unending seconds of loud, harsh sobbing that tears at your throat. “Bucky!”

It’s like his life is over. The sounds you’re making fill him with a fear that he’d never known he could feel.

Compared to the fear of you leaving him, this is worse. The terror in your cries turns his heart to lead and it falls into the pit of his stomach.

He’s running before he even knows where he’s going but there’s only one place you can be. What if you were kidnapped? What if you’d been taken away from him by force?

The nearest exit is the glass doors to the balcony by the living room. He throws them open and leaps, falling three stories without fear. He tucks himself in as the ground rushes up to meet him and he rolls then springs back up onto his feet.

Bucky’s legs have never moved so fast. He’s struggling to breathe when he reaches town. Three a.m. means the streets are deserted, only a car passes him as he flies along the pavement. Your front door sits wide open, several people are standing in your walkway, others are standing on their stoops, glancing towards your and Casey’s house with looks of shock and concern. Bucky doesn’t stop.

He shoves people aside; something must have drawn them out of their homes. What?

The sounds of sirens begin to fill the air as Bucky takes the stairs four at a time. He slides on the top floor landing but turns into your room and nearly falls to his knees at the sight of you howling with tears, kneeling, your bare right foot bright red, turning purple. Your left hand, the heel of your palm pressed against your forehead, is curled around Barnes your pinky twisted into a painful position. It’s broken.

Your entire body is curled protectively around your stomach and as Bucky heaves and struggles to breathe, his shoulders rising and falling violently as he moves towards you, you turn to him and open your arms like a terrified toddler.

Bucky drops to his knees, and pulls you close, holding you tight as you wrap your arms around his neck, almost choking him in your desperation, and bury your face against his thudding pulse as you continue to cry.

He tries to speak but his voice seems to have left him. Instead he breathes out a ragged croak. He shuts his eyes and wills his heart to stop pounding so hard. He inhales deeply through his nose, the gunpowder from the gun sharp and stinging, he can also smell a hint of blood in the air.

He runs his hand along your body, searching, but the faintness of the smell already tell him that the wounded is long gone.

“I’ve got you, kitten.” His voice is still strangled, struggling to come out louder than a whisper. It doesn’t matter however; the timber of his voice seems to relax you. You keep your arms wrapped around him tightly, but he can feel you melt against him.

Running feet pound up behind him but Bucky is so familiar with the gaits that he doesn’t turn. He does however scoot his metal arm underneath your knees and with ease he lifts you up. He turns with you in his arms as Nat, Sam, and Steve stumble to a stop by the doorway.

Steve moves inside, Sam following as Nat holds back, disappearing into the darkness of the house to check the rest of the rooms probably.

“Is she-?” Steve begins.

“She’s okay.” Bucky assures him. “She needs Cho.”

Sam is out the door, his hand on his ear. “Get the jet. Call Helen, tell her we need her in the med bay A-Sap.”

Bucky could have carried you to the compound, but he would prefer the safety of the jet too. He’s silent the entire ride back, his arms holding you carefully, and with you in his lap he’s able to place his hand on your tummy. He rubs it gently, grateful that you’re in one piece if only slightly broken.

Your racking sobs have turned into quiet sniffles and Bucky’s heart aches but also soars at the way you cling to him for comfort. He leans in and kisses your head, offering as much as he can.

As the jet lands, Sam moves towards him but reaches for your left hand to relieve you of your gun.

“Don’t.” Bucky warns him, but Sam tries anyway.

Bucky can feel you tense up and feels your hand wrap around the gun harder. You try to move your pinky and it makes you whimper. With a hiss Bucky gets to his feet and walks towards Sam, a threat in his eyes.

Sam backs up a step holding up his arms to show Bucky he means no harm. “Sorry, Y/N. Sorry.”

Bucky sidesteps him and moves off the jet, into the elevator, and all the way down to the med bay.

“Y/N? Can you hear me? Come on, baby, open your eyes.” His voice is so tempting and warm, you reach for him.

Something isn’t right. Your pinky won’t bend. You groan, your right foot also hurts and feels too tight.

“Bucky?” You whisper, your voice hoarse. Why is it-? “Bucky!”

You shout, sitting up so quickly your back cracks and protests against the sudden movement. Your mind floods with the scramble for your gun, the sharp pain of a harsh hit, the crumble of your fall, and then the panic as you called Bucky and all you could do is scream for him.

“I’ve got you, kitten. I’ve got you.” Bucky's arms are around you, and you quickly wrap yours around him again. He repeats those words, over and over, rubbing your back over the soft, over sized pink cotton shirt you wear to bed. “I’ve got you, kitten. I’ve got you.”

You stay there, in his arms, unwilling to let go because the fear coursing through your body is paralyzing.

When Bucky speaks again, his voice is proud, he squeezes you once and then resumes rubbing your back. “You shot him.”

He already knows who it is that attacked you? “Who?”

“Elias.” Bucky sighs, his voice tells you that crinkle between his eyes is prominent. “We think he noticed my absence. He and I have more in common than I’d like to admit. Maybe not fundamentally but he was made like me. Only difference is he enjoyed it.”

“The other Winter Soldier?” You whisper, realization hitting you smack in the face—no, that was Elias’s hand. You must look like a walking bruise.

“So, he came after me?” Your fearful hitch makes Bucky push you back a little if only so that he can stare into your eyes with anxious blue steel.

“No. I think he was looking for me. He followed me there and was probably curious. When he saw you-”

“What?”

“I don’t know. Did you reach for your gun first, or did he hit you first?”

“I reached for the gun. He stopped me, hurt my wrist.” You pull your arm up and look at the skin, bruised, swollen slightly too. “I was worried…about our ducky and I just reacted. I didn’t think. I kicked him and then I grabbed the gun but then he hit me, and I remember hitting something hard,”

“The wall.” Bucky says.

“-and got up and shot him. I couldn’t even hold up the gun, Bucky I’m such shit to protect our baby. I had to rest my arms on the bed to keep them steady. What if he’d hurt our ducky?”

“You did amazing, Y/N. You fought him off. And the baby is perfect. Helen says that she’s never seen a baby so healthy and perfect, but she called Dr. Carroll for you and she checked you over too.”

“Dr. Carroll was here?” Shock widening your eyes.

“She was.” Bucky smiles, reaching up to tuck your hair back, caressing what feels like a massive bump that stretches along the entirety of the right side of your face. “She said she understands now why the baby always seemed to have a heartrate much faster than normal. She seemed kind of impressed when I told her I was your husband.”

You watch as Bucky’s eyes grow distant for a moment. It’s scary, that wall he hides behind. You haven’t seen it in two months and there it is.

“What, Bucky? Did she say something?”

“No, I just…”

~~~~~~~~~~

“I’m sorry, I’m just a little surprised.” Dr. Carroll reaches down to press the small wand of the much more competent ultrasound machine to your exposed tummy.

“Why?” Bucky asks, his eyes peaked with interest as he watches the screen for his baby. He can already hear that quick thrumming. His little one’s heart! He could kiss the stupid screen for giving him this moment.

His elation is quickly followed by sorrow. He’s missed so much already.

“Ooh, there!” Dr. Carroll sounds a little too excited to see the baby. The image is stunning, 3D, and Bucky can already see that the baby has your nose. The rest of him or her, looks a little like it’s still forming. He can see eyebrows, patchy, like they’re still filling in, shut eyes, big ones. The chin is too small still and the cheeks still not puffed like he’s seen some babies get.

“Is that our baby?!” He asks excitedly, forgetting his sorrow.

The baby suddenly twitches and Dr. Carroll smiles then chuckles. “They like your voice.” She says, explaining the sudden movement.

“My voice?” Bucky doesn’t understand why, or how the baby would even know to distinguish his voice as something to like. He’d missed out on the baby’s first four and a half months. At six months, with only a collective two and a half months of hearing him and the first month of that sparingly because he was always away on mission, he finds it hard to believe that the baby knows to like him.

“Yeah. See.” Dr. Carroll adjusts the wand so that the baby is on display on its side, profile clear and that is definitely your nose! “Try and say something.”

“Uh, hey little one. I’m er…I’m your daddy.” Bucky says nervously.

The baby twitches again, kicking their little legs and at the same time, Bucky can see the kick on your stomach. Bucky’s eyes water. How is it possible that the little one knows it’s him? He looks at you and leans his forehead against your temple. Your face, swollen, beaten, and asleep looks peaceful, despite the purple and red-blue marks on your right side.

“I told you our ducky wasn’t farting.”

Dr. Carroll is silent as the thrumming continues to fill the room. When Bucky finds it weird that she still hasn’t said anything, he looks up at her, sitting up straight again. She’s staring at him and you, her eyes narrowed slightly.

“How long have you two been married?” She wonders.

“Almost a year.” Bucky tells her. “Just under two months left.”

“I didn’t think she had a husband. She never mentioned one when she first came to the office. I felt so bad for her, nervous thing that she was, I figured it was a one night stand or—something worse with how terrified she was? I tried not to ask. But she took two pictures.”

Bucky nods. “She gave it to me a few weeks ago.”

Then because curiosity overwhelms him, he asks, “Why didn’t you think she was married? Why did you jump to the conclusion that she must have gotten pregnant under different circumstances?”

“Well,” Dr. Carroll removes the wand and Bucky is almost heartbroken to have the thrumming stop. However, if he strains his ears hard enough, he can hear its little murmur. “She just seems so-”

“Helpless?” Bucky offers. Dr. Carroll laughs, just a huff, as she nods.

“Yes. Plus, no ring.”

“Huh?” Bucky asks, confused now. And then it dawns on him what she must be talking about and even though he makes the connection she explains anyway.

“No wedding ring. She wrote ‘Mrs. Y/N Barnes’ on the paperwork for the office but lots of unwed mothers do that, just in case they may be judged.”

Bucky feels like an utter ass for realizing, just a little under two months before your one year wedding anniversary, that he has yet to get you some FUCKING wedding rings. He sinks into his seat as Dr. Carroll cleans up and Bucky’s still staring at your wounded face when she pats his shoulder.

“Congratulations, papa. You’ve got a strong, healthy bun in the oven, and a momma who can kick ass to defend her baby.”

Bucky gives her a tight smile because she’s right. You might be passed out right now, the shock probably pushing you into unconsciousness, and you may be timid sometimes and unathletic and an adorable bookworm, but you are strong. You’re so smart and a survivor. And you’re perfect, just as you are.

~~~~~~~~~~

He runs his thumb over the ring finger of your left hand, but you don’t notice the movement. You can only stare at his nervous expression.

“I never got you wedding rings.” He explains, blinking slow before meeting your eyes in fear of upsetting you. “I’m such an idiot.”

“Bucky…” You smile, ignoring the way it makes your face sting. “I don’t need rings. I know you love me. And I love you, so much.”

You see a set of defiance in his expression. He disagrees about the rings and you’re not sure if it’s because a wedding ring on your finger might somehow deter big men trying to help you? Or maybe he wants to make sure that you know that he isn’t ashamed to broadcast that he’s married? Or perhaps it’s his old fashioned notions which he tries hard to hide, that are telling him that if he wants to make it really official, he better get you a damn ring.

Sometime during the day Bucky winds up beside you, laying with you, arms wrapped around you with your head pillowed on his strong fleshy bicep. A knock on the door pulls the two of you awake and as it opens Bucky looks towards it as he tightens his hold on you and you bury your face into his chest because the light that streams in from the bright hallway shines bright in the dark recess of your recovery room.

“What?” He asks, somewhat rough with his tone, his voice muffled and making his chest vibrate as he speaks.

“We caught him on camera, fleeing towards the Canadian border. It’s time to go.”

You don’t like the sound of that one bit. You don’t like the way he’s talking to his friends either. Something’s not exactly right with Bucky still. However, you have no time to delve into that because Bucky sighs and carefully gets up.

“Y/N, I gotta go.”

You want to hold him close, keep him here in your arms. But you can’t. So, you sit up as he sits and pulls his shoes back on.

“Please tell me you’ll be safe, and you won’t try to do anything stupid like retaliate for last night?”

“I can’t make any promises, kitten. The goal is to get him in alive but after last night-”

“Bucky,” You say, chastising him and wishing more than anything that you could tie him down and keep him here. “We’re here, waiting for you. You can’t do anything stupid because I can’t raise this baby on my own, you got that?”

Bucky looks at your tummy and hurries back onto his feet. He takes hold of its sides and presses kiss after kiss against the swollen tummy. “I’ll be back, ducky, I promise.”

He looks up at you and for a moment you forget the upset. You forget that Bucky cheated on you and he forgets that you did too. You forget the ignoring and the shutting out all for just a few perfect moments of staring into Bucky’s eyes before he runs out and puts his life on the line again.

The danger you felt last night, the trauma you’re sitting with here now, it’s all part of his chosen experience but also forced on him too.

“I promise.” He whispers and as much as the moment wipes his and your debts clean, it doesn’t last. He leans in to kiss your forehead, the awkwardness keeping him from really kissing you goodbye.

Bucky feels like a failure. He feels inadequate. He feels like he let you down. His disappointment is a black hole, consuming any and all positivity from your recent reconciliation.

He has you in his life. Maybe not how he wishes you were, but you hadn't asked him for a divorce which had been his worst nightmare. Losing you and his baby and you also shunning him and refusing to let him see his ducky is his idea of hell.

Yet, despite the pit of despair he's fallen in from having failed to catch Elias, he smiles. Sitting with his elbows on his knees, leaning forward with his hair a greasy curtain from not showering for several days and his skin coated with the filth of the mission, he looks across the jet, at empty seats. Sam and Steve at the front letting Bucky have his space so that he can decompress.

The smile is small due to the memory of the first time you used the term ducky to refer to the baby growing inside you. His baby. His perfect little angel. Like you.

It's been almost two weeks since he left you to chase Elias with Steve and Sam. The bastard had led them on a winding chase, jumping back and forth over the Canadian border.

Your pinky will still need lots of time to heal and your ankle had only been sprained. You should be up and walking around without the need for crutches. Your bruises will probably be almost completely faded. He sighs, a heavy worried breath as he pulls his phone from his pocket.

He looks for your name, scrolling slowly with his flesh thumb. He stops at My Kitten and swipes his finger across the name. When he presses it to his ear, it's already ringing. You answer after two rings.

“Bucky?!” Your voice is like a salve on his fretting heart. He shuts his eyes, the sound of you beautiful even with the worry thick and heavy, and enjoys the moment, knowing that even though you've moved out, you still love him.

“Hey.” He whispers, his voice weak and exhausted. He can’t even remember the last time he slept. “God, Y/N. It's so good to hear your voice.”

There’s silence on your side and Bucky reaches up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“Baby?” Bucky probes.

“Where are you?” Your voice cracks and Bucky knows you’re crying. He hates the thought of you with tears streaming down your cheeks.

“What's the matter?” Bucky demands, sitting up straighter, more alert. Sam turn to look at him and Steve steals a glance.

“Ugh, nothing! I’ve been crying over everything lately. This baby is kicking my hormonal ass.”

Bucky's heart leaps, his eyes relax, and he slouches against the synthetic leather seat. With a wide smile he presses the phone closer to his ear, wishing he could hug you tight and kiss your tears away.

“Oh. I’m sorry, kitten.”

“You should be! This is all your fault.” You’re not crying anymore and for once this is something Bucky is definitely happy to take the blame for.

“Bucky where-?” As your voice cuts out, he pulls the phone away from his ear. Lost signal.

“Damn.” He grumbles quietly.

“Lost signal again?” Sam asks, amusement in his voice.

Bucky glances up at him and then looks back at his phone as he opens up his messaging app. “Yeah. I’ll just text her.”

Sam shakes his head. “I told you to just ask Tony for one of his new phones. We get signal everywhere.”

Bucky frowns as he types a quick message telling you he's on his way and should be home in an hour.

“Mmmm.” He acknowledges Sam's suggestion but otherwise ignores his advice. He doesn’t like asking Tony for things.

“Was Y/N okay?” Steve asks, his brow furrowed with worry.

Bucky looks at his reflection in the glass and nods. It still throws him for a loop at how protective the team is over you. After the break in at Casey's, even Tony was frantic to get the townhouse upgraded with top if the line security.

Sam was ecstatic.

“Yeah. Yeah, she's just…the baby's making her hormones go a little bonkers. She was crying so, I got worried.” Bucky flips the phone a few times leaning forward once more to place his elbows on his knees again.

“You guys still doing okay?” Steve probes carefully. He's surprised Bucky is so calm, and Bucky can see the caution in Steve's storm blue eyes.

After what happened at Casey's, after feeling the beastly fear of losing you—to Elias, not the cheating—somehow, he can hold onto that and it manages to outweigh the buzzing in his brain.

“Yeah. We’re good. I just-” He blinks slowly then looks at his phone as it buzzes.

My Kitten: I can’t wait to see you. I’ve missed you. And the baby won’t stop kicking! My heart is pounding and our ducky is flipping out. LOL!

Bucky smiles again, running his fingers over the text. “-I can’t wait for her to come home.”

When the jet finally lands, Bucky knows that it isn’t likely, but he goes to his room. He’d been unable to contact you until today, but he’d hoped that you had chosen to stay on the compound.

The room, as he had expected it to be, is empty. No one has been in here since the last time he’d slept here which had been before he’d nearly fucked everything up by sleeping with Penny.

He wants to see you and he wants to see his ducky, but a shower might be better first. He’s disgusting.

He’s slow as he walks to his apartment door, reminding himself the whole way that he cannot fall asleep. He can’t let himself give in to his exhaustion. No matter how many days he’s gone without sleeping, he needs to see you first.

Falling against the door, his forehead pressed against the cool and carefully painted metal, he shuts his eyes and clumsily presses his right hand’s thumb to the teal green panel. It beeps and the door clicks. With a groan he pulls it open and stumbles inside.

He only makes it three steps when he realizes that something isn’t right.

The large shared living and dining room light is on. Although the entryway is dark, there’s light spilling out of the kitchen too.

There’s a sudden shattering of glass and a gasp. Bucky races towards the kitchen, dropping his bag by the door.

His heart nearly stops then begins to pound as his eyes take in the most magnificently gorgeous sight he’s ever seen.

“You’re home!” You gush and Bucky can almost count the sparkles in your eyes. You’ve never looked so happy to see him and it feels like finally the world has been put right. “I’m-I was making some spaghetti. I…dropped the sauce. Serves me right for not making it from scratch, right? And…now we’re out of sauce. But I can run to the store! I’ll get some more, and we can have spaghetti and meatballs. I took the recipe out of that little book you keep in the drawer by the sink.”

His mom’s recipe!

“Shoot, I should clean this first.” Bucky scrambles forward, throwing his flesh arm out towards you in a stupidly dramatic ‘stop’ motion.

“No, wait. I’ll do that.” He flips his hand over and instead motions for you to move towards him with two flicks of his fingers. “Come here. Be careful. Don’t step on the glass.”

He looks at your feet, you’re barefoot and beautiful. Is it possible to fall in love with you further?

You take a gingerly step towards him, but Bucky moves towards you, stepping on the smooth black granite flooring where there is no sauce, and as soon as you’re within reach he wraps his arms around your waist. He takes care to support your belly and lifts with ease, twisting you back around towards him and the entrance to the kitchen.

He can smell the pan overheating. If he doesn’t turn off the stove there’ll be a fire, but he doesn’t care. All he cares about is the fact that you’re here, in the apartment. Finally, home.

“Let me look at you.” He sighs, and you smell so damn good, like fresh Freesia and clean linen. It’s like your dress was infused with the scent because you’re wearing a sleeveless dress, blue skirt with a white and pink floral pattern, the top—just above the curve of your pregnant belly—a sharp block waistline separates the white top.

Bucky can see that the bruises on your face are almost fully faded. Your pinky is still in its tiny splint. Your ankle still wrapped but looking much less swollen, and there are minuscule red spatters of the sauce on the white but you’re perfect and you’re beautiful and he really wants to kiss you but you’ve got that nervous look in your eyes so he can’t so instead he pushes your hair back and pulls you into his chest.

You wrap your arms around him and it’s like he’s flying. “Does this mean you’re coming home?”

The silence that follows this hopeful question worries him but then you’re sniffling, and he chuckles, pulling back to look at your sobbing face.

“Ugh!” You actually stomp your foot and Bucky really wants to fucking kiss you! “Stupid hormones. Yes! I’m home. I’m home.”

When you wrap your arms around him, he pulls you close once more while waves of heat waft towards him as the pan you’d been cooking with bursts into flames.

Bucky’s trying to coax you into the bedroom, but you don’t make it any further than the entrance of the hallway. He’d already showered and you’d already washed the dishes even though Bucky had told you that you didn’t have to do them, but with all the joy of finally coming home, you can’t make yourself move towards that stupid room where your life was torn apart for a little while.

“What’s wrong?” Bucky asks, adjusting his metal hand so that he can intertwine his fingers with yours instead of letting you pull your hand out of his like you’re trying to do.

“I don’t think I can go back in there, Bucky.”

“What?”

You can see the disappointment on his face. He has to understand though, you can’t make yourself go back in there when what you saw ruined you forever for the beautiful bedroom you’d had before. You’ll sleep on the couch before you sleep on that horrible bed.

“I-I just can’t.”

“Y/N,” Bucky begins, moving closer, pulling your hand up to hold against his chest. “Do you trust me?”

With my life? Yes. With other women?

“Don’t answer that.” Bucky shuts his eyes tight and laughs without humor at the stupidity of his question. “Will you please, trust me? With this?”

You consider his expression, the gentle pleading, the worry, the blue of his eyes and his freshly washed hair. God, he smells like a rainforest waterfall with the slightest hint of cucumber.

“Okay.” You give in, unable to help it. His dark grey t-shirt, the black sleep pants, the damp tendrils of hair sticking to the sides of his face, it all mixes into an irresistible cocktail of manly perfection.

His face blooms with ecstatic happiness and he pulls you towards the bedroom, your bedroom, adjusting his strength when your feet start to resist.

“I was hoping you’d come home some day and when you did, I wanted you to be comfortable and…I made a stupid mistake, Y/N. An unforgivable one and somehow you forgave me.”

“Bucky…I made that same mistake-”

Bucky shakes his head. “But if I hadn’t pushed you away so hard you would have never been driven towards him. I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving to you that you forgiving me was not a mistake and hopefully this can begin to make amends.”

He pushes the bedroom door open and you’re immediately assaulted by the lighter palate. The room is dimly lit, silver lamps with black sconces on burnt chestnut-brown beside tables cast diffuse yellow light on the golden taupe wallpaper. The pictures of you and Bucky rest around the lamps and on new dressers one to the left of the bed and one to the right in the same burn chestnut-brown as the bedside tables.

The bed itself, rather than pushed up against the wall to the right of the room lays straight ahead, with the large windows on either side, currently covered with shiny black thermal curtains. It’s just as big as before, king size, with a white patterned upholstered platform bed frame. The sheets are soft gray with new plush pillows in black cases to match the black high thread count comforter. At the end of the bed is an elegant art deco bench also in white and black.

Immediately to your right however is the pink chair that Bucky had bought for you, on it a small stack of clothes that you’d left there months ago. And to the left the full length black mirror you’d examined your bruises in once upon a time when Bucky had rushed to kiss them to apologize for putting them there in the heat of passion.

Your eyes are streaming with tears again, obviously, because the baby seems fit to make it so that you cry at the drop of a hat and Bucky completely redid your bedroom. He replaced the darkness of your room and made it bright.

Bucky assess the look of surprise and happiness on your face then smiles and gives your hand a squeeze.

“Welcome home, baby.”

You’re propped up on your new bed, chuckling as Bucky recounts the moment that Sam realized he’d forgotten to open his wings after a particularly high jump. It actually sounds really freaking dangerous, but the way Bucky tells it, you know that nothing happened.

“Anyway, that was probably the only good part about the mission.”

“No Elias?” You ask, fretfully rubbing your tummy over you’re the soft white spaghetti strap top of your pajama set.

Wanda had given them to you just after your discharge from the med bay and you’d saved them for this very moment. For when you and Bucky could be together again.

“We saw him, almost caught him a couple times but he keeps slipping us. I’m not sure what to do anymore. How to catch him? I’m so tired of chasing after him.” Bucky admits, focusing on your tummy as his own hand bumps into yours and he quickly catches your hand, brings it to the base of your stomach, and holds both you and your ducky there.

“So, then stop?” You hate how tired he looks. You hate that the circles under his eyes are so dark. You reach up and stroke them then slip your hand into his hair to push it back away from his face.

“I can’t. We can’t. He’s too dangerous. And after what he did to you, I need to get him off the streets, Y/N. I won’t relax until he’s locked up where he can’t get to you again.” Your heart flutters with the intensity of Bucky’s determination.

In response, your ducky kicks and the shirt over your tummy moves. You chuckle, forgetting all your worries with the baby’s kick.

“Is our ducky excited?” Bucky wonders.

“No. Not really. Just…you-” You stop, biting your lower lip because you don’t know if you want to admit how much he still makes you nervous.

“Me?” Bucky asks, wondering, also nervous.

“You make my heart flutter sometimes.” You admit in a rush. “The baby responds to that feeling in my stomach, you know? Those tumbles?”

Bucky grins. “Oh, I know those tumbles.”

Your face must look worried or confused—because you are. Is he thinking about you when he talks about tumbles in his stomach or someone else?—because Bucky is quick to push himself up a bit higher, closer to you. He sighs wafting tart mint against your slightly open lips.

“Hey…” You can see the anger within his eyes. Anger directed at himself. You know it because you feel it whenever you think about what you did with Henry.

Suddenly he’s scrambling off of the bed. “Bucky?”

“Hold on, baby. I’ll be right back.” He rushes out into the hallway and you can hear him thumping around the living room and then two minutes later he’s hurrying back towards you.

He steps up onto the bench at the end of your bed then falls to his knees and crawls across the mattress towards you. He drops back down onto your right side, resting on his metal elbow as he opens his flesh hand. Inside rests a small shiny black box with a velvet covered pearl on top. There’s a small seam straight through the middle that tells you it opens to the sides.

Your breath catches because you know what’s in the box without needing to open it.

“Bucky…I told you I don’t need rings. I know how you feel, and I-I hope you know how I feel?”

“I do.” Bucky assures you. “I know. But I could never forgive myself if I didn’t do this for you because our marriage is just as valid as everyone else’s. The people who date for six years before they tie the knot and us, for two weeks? We deserve to celebrate the way everyone else does. I never want you to doubt how much I love you and this is just that, a reminder. I will never hurt you like I did again, Y/N. You are my love and my life and my only salvation in this long-ass life that I’ve lived. Plus, I’m kinda hoping the ring will help other women to see that I’m taken.”

It’s not like you hadn’t thought about that yourself but it’s so silly. “That doesn’t stop all of them, Bucky.”

He knows you’re right. He doubts whether anything could have stopped Penny, but it gives him some comfort. It helps him remember too that somewhere in the world there’s someone waiting for him, someone who needs him. There’s someone who wants to see him and spend time with him and love him.

“Open it.”

You do. Inside of the pretty box rest two rings, both platinum, but one large with sleek brushed metal at the center and shining silver on the edges; Bucky’s ring. The second is much smaller, feminine in its beautiful vine and floral design and within every leaf and every flower petal is a single diamond. Tiny but altogether, they shine brilliantly in the soft glow of the room.

Bucky takes his and slips it onto his right ring finger, then he takes yours and waits for you to press your left hand on his.

You bite your lip as you watch him slip it onto your finger. Then he sighs. Content.

“It’s beautiful, babe.”

The baby kicks again and Bucky smiles wide while you chuckle. He reaches down to the base of stomach and takes hold of the hem of your shirt. “Can I?”

You nod. Carefully he lifts the shirt and with a bit of self-consciousness, you try to hide the stretched skin marks that litter the base of your belly.

“Our d-ducky grew kinda quickly. And I haven’t been as vigilant as I should be with the cream.” Not that it always helped. But Bucky doesn’t seem to notice your stretch marks. He’s too busy watching your baby kick over and over as your heart flutters the longer Bucky stares.

He leans in and kisses your tummy, skin to skin, searing hot kisses as the baby goes wild.

He looks up to meet your eyes and if you’re honest, until this moment, things hadn’t felt right. They’d been on their way and the two of you had been trying but it’s not until right now, when Bucky’s steel blue eyes darken to silver as he holds your gaze, that things feel good. Finally, things are right.

Unwilling to lose the moment, Bucky leans up to press his lips softly against your own. You whimper, having missed his kiss so desperately. His hand slides from the top of your exposed stomach to your side then up, up, up, until he’s wrapping rough calloused hands around your soft bare back to lay you down carefully as he strips you and then himself to express his serenity at finally having you home.

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[tamboradventure]

17 Things to See and Do in Taiwan

Posted: 9/3/2019 | September 3rd, 2019

I used to live in Taiwan for a few months as an English teacher. I loved the time there and have always felt the country was really under appreciated. So, in this is a guest post by Carrie Kellenberger from My Several Worlds and an expat living in Taiwan for ten years, she lists out all the amazing things you should see and do there.

Every country in Asia is beautiful, but Taiwan is special for many reasons. The people are warm and hospitable. In March 2019, Taiwan was listed as the happiest place in East Asia.

While it might be a small island, you would be amazed at the never-ending variety of sights and fun things to do here. With over a hundred mountain peaks above 3,000 meters, over a hundred hot springs scattered around the island, both golden and black-sand beaches, nine national parks, world-class museums, glittering skyscrapers, stunning temples, and a huge number of night markets that are second to none, Taiwan has something that everyone can enjoy.

To this day, nearly 14 years after I moved here, I still think Taiwan is one of Asia’s best-kept travel destination.

Here are some of the best ways to spend your time in Taiwan:

1. Eat, Eat Eat!

The national pastime in Taiwan is eating. Taiwanese, both adults and children, are very work and study oriented, so their lifestyles demand healthy food that is available on the go. Moreover, there is always an abundance of fruits and vegetables, so visiting a local market can be a delight when you find out how cheap it is to eat fresh food.

As a result, Taiwan has become an epicurean’s playground. The food scene is an international smorgasbord of culinary delights, for every budget and almost every diet.

Night Markets While there are five-star international restaurants of every variety throughout the country, the night markets are where the real gastronomes go. They promise to keep your belly full while your wallet remains relatively unscathed.

There are over 30 night markets in Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung (and over 70 night markets across Taiwan). If you’re not sure which one to choose, visit this list of night markets in Taiwan and take your pick. My personal favorites are Shilin, Keelung, and Roahe Street in Taipei.

Here are a few things you should try:

Xiao long bao, also known as soup dumplings, a favorite staple food here. They are made out of a thin pastry folded into a type of bag that is then stuffed full with a meat-and-vegetable mixture and a tiny amount of soup, then garnished with raw ginger and soy sauce. Biting into one of these is a flavor explosion in your mouth. Plenty of street vendors at night markets offer fresh xiao long bao for around $2 USD for a basket of 10-12. There is really no reason not to try them. I’ve yet to meet a visitor to Taiwan who hasn’t loved their xiao long bao experience. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Oyster vermicelli

Oyster omelets

Beef noodle soup

Deep-fried chicken

Tian bu la (a type of fish cake fried with coriander with a dash of pepper and spice)

Sweet Taiwanese sausage or BBQ on a stick

Stinky tofu

“Coffin bread” (a tasty bread bowl shaped like a coffin)

Pig’s blood cake (It’s made from pig’s blood, sticky rice and soy broth and tastes much better than it sounds, I promise!)

Shaved ice

Zhen zhu nai cha (Taiwanese bubble tea)

Taiwan Beer (it’s the most popular local beer)

No matter what you decide on, you’re sure to have a great meal at a low cost while experiencing Taiwanese culture at its very best. You’ll be amazed at what you can buy for dinner for just $5 USD! You’ll definitely find some things that you hate, but you’ll also find things that you’ll love. It’s all part of the experience, right?

2. Visit a Taiwanese Teahouse

Tea culture in Taiwan is wonderful, and there are many options for tea lovers.

Maokong Gondola – This gondola will whisk you four kilometers to a mountain peak in a glass-bottomed cable car, from which you can view the tea plantations built into the side of the mountain as you zoom up. You can catch it at the Taipei Zoo MRT station; a ride costs 120 NT ($4 USD) each way. Once you’re at the top, there are several winding paths for a pleasant mountaintop stroll and a great selection of teahouses to choose from when you’re ready to enjoy a cup of fresh mountain tea.

Jiufen – If you’re heading out of Taipei, Jiufen is one of Taiwan’s most popular tourist destinations, owing to its appearance in the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. This seaside mountain village offers some terrific shopping opportunities, as well as all the different kinds of foods you see in the movie. It’s one of my favorite places, because it is also home to some beautiful teahouses in the most glorious setting. Imagine sitting at the top of a mountain, looking out over the ocean in the comfort of a traditional tea house. It is truly a magical experience, especially if you can get there for sunset. Go on a weekday to avoid the large weekend crowds.

Jwu Jiu Teahouse – If you make it as far south as Chiayi, be sure to find Jwu Jiu Teahouse, a hidden gem that is like taking a step back into the past. Jwu Jiu is a traditional wooden teahouse set above enormous stone ponds filled with hundreds of giant, brightly colored koi. Feed the fish while sipping on your tea, and enjoy some traditional dim sum in the loveliest setting you’ve ever seen. The grounds belong to a local family, and the teahouse uses a well that is over a century old, in which the water still runs deep and pure. The owner has kept most of the original structures and bricks, plus a hundred-year-old Osmanthus tree, which is associated with many traditions in China and Taiwan. If you’re a history buff, you’ll enjoy the teahouse’s long history, displayed with pride and obvious care.

3. Check out the Northern Coastline

Head to the coast for some incredible lunar-like landscapes at Yehliu Geopark. There are some unique, otherworldly rock formations, including one that looks like Queen Elizabeth (though it took over 4,000 years to form) that are a popular tourist attraction. Try to get there early to beat the crowds.

4. Hit the Beaches

The beaches of Kenting on the southern tip of the island offer fun in the sun. White Sand Bay is the most popular and a great place to soak up the sun, swim, snorkel, or even go diving (just keep an eye out for jellyfish!). Other great beaches are South Bay and Little Bali Bay.

5. Soak in the Hot Springs

Taipei has its very own active volcano in its backyard, and because of the volcanic activity in the area, Beitou Hot Springs enjoys a steady stream of visitors and locals who love to bathe in its healthy waters. Prices start around 40 NT ($1.30 USD) per person for a soak in the hot springs, making it a very affordable choice for anyone looking for some R&R.

6. Go Island Hopping

The beautiful islands of Penghu just off Taiwan’s western coastline will delight your sense of wanderlust and are especially well known for their golden beaches. This island archipelago has islands that are all distinct.

Boats will drop you off at one island for a few hours and then take you to the next one, so you can literally go from snorkeling to observing sea turtles to wandering through traditional aboriginal villages made out of coral in a single day.

7. See Old Taiwan

Two groups of islands that make up the Kinmen Archipelago off the west coast of Taiwan, just a couple miles from mainland China — and they are old Taiwan at its best. Here you’ll be able to see some traditional architecture, and there are also insightful museums that highlight the ongoing tensions between the People’s Republic and Taiwan.

8. Get Off the Beaten Track on Orchid Island and Green Island

Located just off the southeastern coast, these lush islands are a treat to visit. Here you’ll find hiking, swimming, diving, and amazing hot springs. You can also get further off the beaten path and have an adventure by renting a scooter to traveling around the islands yourself!

9. Explore the Green Mountains

Grab a scooter and head up into the green mountains, which extend over five ranges the length of the island. If you want to stretch your legs, climb to the summit of beautiful Jade Mountain and watch the sunrise; this beautiful peak is almost 4,000 meters above sea level, making Taiwan the world’s fourth-highest island.

10. Visit Wuling Peak on Hehuan Mountain

If you’re still craving some climbing and hiking, head to Wuling Peak on Hehuan Mountain, around 3,275 meters above sea level, making it another good hike for anyone looking to spend more time outdoors. But what really makes this place special is that the peak is so high, you can look down into a sea of clouds below!

11. Go Hiking in Taroko National Park

Ready for another city break? This national park offers visitors a chance to hike through mountainous terrain and gorges, and you can even stop to dip your feet in swiftly flowing mountain rivers. Covering just under 100,000 hectares, it’s one of only nine national parks in Taiwan. Admission is free.

12. Head East

To really enjoy Taiwan’s majestic beauty, don’t forget Taiwan’s eastern coastline. The east coast highway has some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the world, from plunging sea cliffs and splashing surf to beaches, nature reserves, and rural towns a world away from the big city.

13. Witness Some Chaos

Check out the feeding frenzy of the markets in Taipei, or enjoy a stroll around cool Ximending, the gay district and Taipei’s answer to Tokyo’s Shibuya. Ximending boasts a massive outdoor plaza behind the Red House (a well-known cultural landmark) and a pedestrian shopping zone filled with the latest fashion trends, coffee shops, restaurants, and local artisans.

Give yourself bonus points for checking out all the super cool graffiti; you won’t find it on the main thoroughfares, but if you venture onto some of the smaller side streets, you’ll soon find yourself in world of brightly decorated alleys and lanes.

14. See Tianhou Temple

While you’re in Ximending, it’s worth stopping by one of the oldest temples in the city, Tianhou (also known as the Ximending Mazu Temple, after the in-house deity Mazu, goddess of the sea). Around since 1746, it’s one of three major temples in Taiwan from the Qing period. It’s located on a main thoroughfare — but it’s very easy to miss the entrance.

Stepping through the entrance to this beautiful Taoist temple filled with mythological creatures, smoky incense, lucky goldfish, and people paying respect to the gods is truly a surreal experience. You’d never know this quiet oasis is in one of the busiest areas of Taipei!

15. Explore Fo Guang Shan Monastery

If you have your own ride in Kaohsiung, I strongly encourage you to stop by Fo Guang Shan Monastery and pay homage to the monks that live there. An ultra-Zen monastery open to the public, the complex is massive and stunning, leading to the Great Path of Buddhahood, a broad pathway flanked by eight identical pagodas.

You can explore each as you walk your way up to the Big Buddha, the highest seated bronze Buddha in the world. I’ve been to many temples and monasteries in my lifetime, but this one takes the cake.

16. Visit a Taiwanese Aboriginal Village

There are many knowledgeable local guides that can introduce you to the aboriginal way of life in Taiwan. The Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village near Sun Moon Lake is the most popular destination to learn more, but it’s certainly not the only one — there are lots of villages to choose from.

17. Take Part in the Pingxi Lantern Festival

One of the coolest events in Taiwan, the Pingxi Lantern Festival involves releasing hundreds of paper lanterns into the sky. (Many newlyweds also include this meaningful tradition as a part of their wedding celebration.) If you don’t want to brave the crowds, you can easily purchase a lantern and light one on any of Taiwan’s beaches.

Taiwan is very environmentally friendly, so make sure you go with the eco-friendly paper lantern options that disintegrate, leaving no residue, and don’t cause fires. The company My Taiwan Tour also currently offers biodegradable paper lantern tours in Shifen.

***

There are many things about Taiwan that make it an incredible place to live; it’s easy to take some of those things for granted once you’ve been here for a while. I frequently hear that people think Taiwan is very Westernized, and while I agree that it is to some extent, there are still plenty of authentic Taiwanese experiences to be had!

Taiwan is and continues to be an unexpected travel destination that continues to delight visitors to this day. There is no place like it!

Canadian expat Carrie Kellenberger has been living in Asia since 2003. She moved to Taiwan in 2006 and became a permanent resident in 2012. She loves entertaining guests and travelers to Taiwan. You can read about her adventures and life there at her blog, My Several Worlds.

Book Your Trip to Taiwan: Logistical Tips and Tricks

Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned.

Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. My favorite places to stay in Taipei are:

Formosa 101 – This hostel is located right near the Taipei Tower and the Tonghua Night Market. They offer free breakfast and have a laid back lounge for relaxing.

Meander Taipei – The staff here is really helpful and the beds are comfy. They have free breakfast as well as other daily activities available.

Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are:

World Nomads (for everyone below 70)

Insure My Trip (for those over 70)

Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too!

Photo credits: 9 – David Hsu, 15 – Yi Chen, 16 – Huicheng1967

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[bijuewled]

Charmed: Chapter 8

A/N: And here’s another chapter! I hope you guys enjoy Natsu and Lucy’s encounter in the Fairy Tail annual battle of the sexes! The results of the games will be at the end of this chapter. Who do you think will win? And who has the flag? All will be answered at the end of this chapter! Enjoy the nalu!

Note: The area where Gray and Juvia had their face off is down the road from where Natsu is in this chapter, like a mile down the road by the river, hope that helps give some perspective!

And there’s a scene with Gray and Juvia in this chapter that happens as Natsu finds Lucy!

Read all parts here

You can also read it here on ff.net

Word Count: 11,689

Rating: M (language and themes)

Summary: As the days grew older, they grew closer; closer than they could’ve ever imagined. And as an innate power forces itself upon Lucy, she becomes a piece of a destiny that would be beyond her control; for the one who bears the mark of gold is charmed with the power to destroy everything..and to begin everything anew.

                                        Chapter Eight: Down and Dirty

                                                           o-o-o

“I know you’re here.”

Natsu’s eyes narrowed as if he were solving a math equation, staring down the numbers before waiting for the answer to jump out at him, not because he didn’t know how to solve said equation, but because he needed to see the bigger picture before he could submit his answer. Then again, he’d never taken a math test in his life, let alone written anything down on a piece of paper. Igneel had learned that Natsu’s tactile approach on everyday demeanors also applied to teaching the kid math through pebbles and twigs, and sometimes even berries he’d pluck off of bushes and pop right into Natsu’s mouth as a reward. Even Makarov never sat Natsu down and made him take written tests like the others, knowing he’d just get bored and set his paper on fire.

No, he prefered a more hands on approach to handling the problems that faced him, or rather, the problems that currently hid from him.

Natsu grinned as he stared as the restless body of water in front of him. His eyes traced the waves enthusiastically as adrenaline pumped through his veins. Never in his life had Natsu been so genuinely excited about water.

“Ne, Natsu?” Happy chirped next to him, frowning down at the water, cautiously keeping his paws away from the parts of the cobblestone path that were a dark gray shade from being damp. “We’ve been here for a while now...don’t you think that we would’ve found Lucy by now?”

Natsu looked down at his blue partner beside his feet before bending down and scratching him softly between his ears. “If it were anyone but Lucy, I’d agree with you Buddy.” Natsu told him, his eyes scanning the water slowly.

Everything had clicked when he ran into Bixslow and Freed, of course it wasn’t Juvia who soaked them to the brim with a giant wave. That wasn’t true to her style anyway, and if it were her, she would’ve sent the two swimming into the next town, not purposely of course. He knew just as well that Lucy had the capacity to do the same, but she wouldn’t do that to anyone in Fairy Tail, other than himself maybe. And it was absolutely uncanny of the blonde to help out a teammate in need, like helping Lisanna escape from Natsu’s teammates so that they could keep one of their own in the game.

“I know you’re here Lucy!” Natsu grinned, raising his right arm and swiftly brushing his fingers through his spiky pink locks, the heat of the dying sun locked onto his hair and spreading across his palm.

The water released a metallic smell that filled Natsu’s nose, leaving an unappealing taste on his tongue. He’d always resented walking next to this part of the river, and he could put all the blame on the smell alone; the perfect spot for many to throw jewel coins into the river and make useless wishes for future love or more money, which seemed so counterproductive to Natsu since the dummies were throwing money away to wish for more money. He couldn’t fathom what sense that made to anyone, with all the money that was glittering below the slow rushing water he could buy himself an exotic pet, like a lizard that breathed fire or even a five course meal that could satisfy him for days. Lucy, however, had scoffed at his statements of the wasteful money at first, believing in the fun of making wishes and throwing the coins in the water when the two of them had stopped for a snack at the bakery near the famous money wasting spot once after a job. Natsu wasn’t a huge sweet tooth, but the owner of the bakery enjoyed whenever Natsu came by ever since he’d scared off a man trying to rob the place once upon a time. He was so appreciative that he’d even developed a special recipe for cake that involved hot sauce mixed into the butter cream frosting and hot tamale candies baked into the batter. Natsu had told her she was nuts, nuttier than the chunks of almonds that were baked into the slice of cake that sat on her plate. She’d rolled her eyes at him, and looked out towards a couple holding hands and throwing multiple coins in the river. Natsu openly smirked at her when her eyes soon began to narrow, her eyebrow twitching in annoyance as another couple began to throw multiple coins into the water, followed by one small child taking an entire coin purse and turning it over so that her coins fell into the water with a giant splash, exclaiming to her mother that she’d have extra luck in making her wish come true if she used more coins. Lucy swallowed harshly, closing her eyes and reaching for her cup of tea.

Later that night, Natsu had knocked on her window and the two exchanged silent eye contact through the glass for a good ten seconds, before Lucy reached down to open it for him.

“I’ll get my coat.”

They hadn’t stopped sifting through the dirt caked on the bottom of the river until they’d picked out every coin they could find. Lucy had contracted a bad cold after their night of coin diving, but she’d treated herself by buying a new sweater with the jewel she’d acquired.

Natsu smirked at the memory, glancing down at the new coins that shone beneath the water as he walked by. They’d have to have another dive session soon.

Natsu stopped in his tracks, the thought of the water rushing through his mind and turning the wheels in his head. He bit down on his cheek inside his mouth, tasting even more of the scents of the coins before an idea burned brightly into his mind, a grin spreading across his face slowly.

“Happy,” Natsu began kneeling down onto the ground and looking to his partner “I’m gonna need ya to fly up high for me.”

The Exceed frowned at the Dragon Slayer “Huh?” he chirped “What for?”

Natsu laughed, stretching his right hand over the water next to him as he felt the fabric of his pants near his knee dampen. Images of a soaking wet Freed and Bixslow swam through his mind as his fingers inched closer to the water below. The liquid danced teasingly beneath his palm as Lucy’s face sparkled its way into his psyche next, making him grin mischievously as he felt the blood in his veins begin to simmer, shooting down into his hand. A slight steam began to rise up from the top of the water, tickling his skin as it left small drops of water to cling onto his muscles.

The dragonslayer grinned. “It’s gonna get hot.”

Happy sprouted his wings and let himself levitate a few feet above the water, eagerly waiting for Natsu to give him the signal to increase his height.

If Lucy wasn’t gonna come out of her watery hiding spot, he’d just have to make her. Plain and simple.

But then again, it was never that way with the two of them.

“Na-” Happy could barely exclaim before water spurted out from the river at lightning speed, directly at the Exceed. Natsu’s ears were filled with mixed sounds of rushing water and Happy’s cry of surprise as he watched his blue friend be launched across the golden sky, his little voice growing fainter and fainter as the jet of water rained down upon Natsu, dampening his hair and making it stick down flat to his temples.

“Happy!” Natsu exclaimed, motioning to hop up from his kneeling position before something cold and wet wrapped itself around his right arm, slamming him back onto the cobblestones, a sharp pain shooting up his knee. He gritted his teeth as he saw the water wrap around his arm like a vice, squeezing his arm tightly and leaving it numb. His eyes widened as he felt it pull him more and more into the river, the force immensely strong, as if a weight were on the other side. He growled a low growl of frustration, as the water had made its way up and above his elbow and clamped down onto his shoulder. He fought the liquid, pressing his feet onto the cobblestones and straining to stand up straight.

“Damn it!” he cursed to himself as he struggled to make a fist with his submerged hand. He felt the muscles in his arm strain as he saw small bubbles beginning to fill the water around his arm. He gritted his teeth even harder as steam began to rise from his arm, sweat dripping down his temple as he struggled to figure out why the water hadn’t evaporated away.

However, he didn’t have much time to dwindle on that fact, as his ears picked up on the sound of another jet of water shooting out of the river and this time, wrapping itself around his torso and neck. He coughed violently as the water hardened around him like a vice, and before he could even blink, he was swept off of the cobblestones and was dragged into the cold water, bubbles rushing into his vision and filling his ears. He grimaced as he tasted the metallic undertones of the water, a few coins lightly slapping his calves as he opened his blazing eyes to see nothing but dark blue depth up ahead.

Not bad he thought to himself briefly before his lungs suddenly were able to take in oxygen, his head breaking the surface of the water. He panted slightly as he felt his arms stiffen against his sides, the water around him feeling sort of like the jelly Mira spread on his toast at the guild.

“Sorry for the roughness.” a familiar voice apologized to him as he swiftly directed his attention towards it, eyes blurred and irritated from the water. “But I can’t have you evaporating the river on me like that.”

Lucy always had a certain way of showing everybody up, and he couldn’t understand how she did it each and every time. Whether it was opening the front doors of the guild and swinging her hips slightly as she walked in or even when she brushed her hair behind her shoulders as she doused a piece of paper with words from her pen, she always managed to stand out.  

And seeing her in that moment was no exception.

She was like a fairy, balancing atop the rushing water as if it were solid ground, small droplets of water floating around her arms and legs. Her peach skin was almost tinted a darker orange with the sunset, making her blonde hair appear extra gold; it swished behind her shoulders in the wind, the red tie in her hair moving along with it.

She looked out into the distance with an embarrassed grin. “I’ll have to get Happy some really delicious fish after this. I didn’t mean to send him flying to the next town.”

Natsu spit some water out of his mouth and grinned at her. “What? And I don’t get an apology?”

Lucy’s eyes met his, and her sheepish grin turned into a confident one. She had a familiar twinkle in her eyes. “You’ve had this coming to you for a while now.”

“Tsk.” he shook his head. “I’m hurt.”

Natsu looked her up and down, her attire completely changed from the similar uniform look the girls’ team had donned. It wasn’t like he’d never seen her like this before, in fact it was the same outfit she’d produced in his memory of refilling the lake at the park. His eyes traced the long black zig-zagged line across her chest, the yellow and green straps of her bikini top overlapping them on her collarbone. The only difference that he could spot in her appearance was the suspicious red flag tucked into the side of her skirt. But yet, he felt that there was something else he was missing, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“You’re not getting this from me.” she locked eyes with him as he looked up at her, her fingertips brushing the fabric lightly. “Not if I, nor the sun, has anything to say about it.”

She took a step towards him, ripples of water spreading out in lethargic circles as her slow gait brought her closer and closer to Natsu. He narrowed his eyes as she looked down on him with the utmost satisfaction. It added a small blush to her cheeks, brightening up her complexion a little, almost the same shade as the small amounts of pink painted across the sherbert sky. Hell, it even made her eyes more pronounced, bringing out that exciting spark that ignited her pupils whenever she was determined to do something.

He’d secretly always liked that spark. It reminded him of why she was his partner, why they picked each other.

He felt his mouth curl upwards in a smirk, and she stopped in her footsteps, frowning skeptically as he felt the water pressure around him tighten. This only made him chuckle softly, watching as his partner stared him down with a sour suspicion painted all over her face.

“It’s a good thing that I don’t give a crap about what the sun has to say.” he told her as-a-matter-of-factly.

He felt a delicious and familiar power boil through his veins, rushing down into his toes and fingertips. When he felt the bubbles begin to pop on his skin, his smirk transformed into a wide grin as he watched Lucy’s eyes widen in horror.

“Now I’m really fired up.”

And in just a flash, the river would be as well.

o-o-o

Lucy felt the heat on her face before she could even process what was about to happen. Her lips parted slightly, though her voice would not yield to her desire to use it as she watched the bubbles form rapidly around Natsu, popping like popcorn. The water around them began to stir uneasily, splashing against her feet and hitting her exposed skin where her sandals didn’t cover her completely. Her stomach dropped when she realized that the water was extremely warm, almost hot.

She looked into Natsu’s mischevous eyes, and her stomach dropped to her feet.

She’d wasted too much time.

A sudden roaring of boiling water filled her ears as hot steam blew all around her, stinging her eyes and making them water, making her gasp in surprise. Losing her footing, she fell backwards onto her butt, her Aquarius Stardress allowing her to remain above the water rather than falling into it. It took only a few more seconds before she felt herself sinking into the mud and stones that lingered below the once full river. She watched in horror as the steam continued to billow around her, frizzing up the ends of her hair and making sweat drip down her temples. She bit down on the inside of her cheek in frustration. What else did she expect from Natsu? He’d pulled a stunt like this before afterall, so she didn’t understand what logic in her brain told her that she would be able to hold him with her constricting currents. She glanced upwards at the sky, squinting through the steam. She could at least be relieved that Happy was out of the picture for the moment, the poor exceed probably draped over a tree branch with the wind knocked out of him, she’d make sure to give her apologies to the cat the next time she saw him.

The mud beneath her began to suction her more securely into its surface, and she grunted as she plunged her feet into the ground and clenched her fists, pushing herself up out of the mud, her fingers brushing against some coins as she did so. She let out an annoyed tsk as she wiped the mud off of her hands and onto her legs, shuddering as she tried to convince herself that she was at that spa in Bellea and the mud was just a moisturizing mask that would make her skin glisten.

She gritted her teeth and swiped off a piece of mud from her cheek and she looked ahead of her, the steam still billowing around her, shielding Natsu from her vision, and her from Natsu’s she soon came to realize.

This might be my only chance to turn things around she thought to herself as she closed her eyes and let her Stardress fade from her body with a swift flash of glitter. She reached upwards and tightened her ponytail, paying no mind to the small bits of mudd she felt caked onto her hair, it was the least of her worries.

Her fingers brushed against the sturdy keys attached to her hip, and she swiftly drew one from the keyring, her eyes quickly sweeping over the symbol on the top of it, confirming to herself that it was the key she needed.

She held it out in front of her, and poured her magic into the metal, the satisfactional feeling of a connection being made filling her body.

“Open.” she whispered.

This was her last shot, and there was no way she’d mess this up.

o-o-o

Natsu grinned to himself as the steam around him rose up towards the sky, the wind blowing the vapor away from the river that once existed around him. He laughed to himself, patting himself on the back for wiping out the water around him as if it were a mere puddle. He’d have to ask Lucy and Juvia to refill the river once the game was over, a favor to the winner from the losing team.

Natsu ran his hand through his ruffled-up hair, and grinned once he began to see a female silhouette begin to form up ahead, the curves all too familiar to him.

“And I thought you knew me by now!” Natsu called out to her in a taunting matter, his left hand clenched into a fist and resting on his hip, his other hand up hear his face, his thumb pointed at himself, the rest of his fingers in a fist. “Water can’t stop this dragon slayer!”

The steam was almost fully cleared, and Natsu finally caught a glimpse of his opponent.

She’d gone through another outfit change, her bikini top and skirt had been exchanged for a bodysuit and half sleeve look, coattails jutting out from her curved hips. She stood with her legs planted firmly on the ground-in the mud no less-her long, blonde ponytail draped over her right shoulder, and right below the tip of her hair was the infamous piece of red fabric he sought after.

“You may be right.” he heard her speak clearly, smirking as she lazily flipped her hair over her shoulder. “So maybe it’s time I leveled the playing field.”

It was then that Natsu realized that she wasn’t alone, another shadow stood right next to her at attention, ready to attack. Natsu zoned in on the pointed ears and long neck, and he immediately knew who was next to Lucy.

He watched as she held out her hand, and with a small flash, a bow and arrow materialized into the air and landed perfectly into her outstretched hand, her fingers wrapping around the weapon confidently. As swiftly as the weapon arrived, she pointed it towards him, her fingers wrapped around the tail of the arrow and string, completely in charge.

Natsu grinned at her, huffing in satisfaction. “It’s been a while, Sagittarius!”

“Moshimoshi!” the spirit beside the blonde nodded to the dragon slayer. “Natsu-dono.”

He held a similar stance to his master’s, bow aimed and ready to fire. The sight of the two of them almost set him on edge, sending excited chills down his spine as Lucy flashed him with a confident grin.

“A little too muddy don’t you think?” Natsu asked aloud, directing his question towards Lucy, looking her up and down. “Wouldn’t want someone’s hooves to slip out from under them.”

“You just worry about your own hooves, ‘kay?” Lucy fired back at him, shooting a nod towards the horse next to her. “We’ve gotten pretty steady on our feet.”

“I don’t doubt that.” Natsu nodded, grinning as he clenched his hands into fists, orange sparks of baby flames flying out from his skin, the warmth of the fire egging him on and increasing his adrenaline, the battle before him sure to be an exciting and thrilling one.

They stared each other down for a solid three seconds before the sparks ignited.

“Bring it on.” he taunted, his leg muscles twitching.

She smiled at him and aligned her arrow with her target, her fingers steady.

“Oh, I intend to.”

And she sent her arrow flying.

o-o-o

In the duration of his whole life, there was only one time that Elfman had ever felt an immense amount of fear. It was years ago, after he’d regained consciousness from the beast magic invading his brain seeing his little sister bleeding and dying on the ground, the rocks around her bright red and wet from the rain. The fear that he had killed his sister, that his innocent little Lisanna was dying because of his actions pounded through his body. And to make matters worse, this had all been too painfully true. Which is why ever since she’d returned to them, he swore he’d never let fear overtake him ever again, swearing to himself that he’d push away the fear and take control.

And it was because of this promise to himself that he now stood outside of the bakery with a pained look on his face, walking down the steps in a lethargic manner with a piece of cake sitting perfectly on a plate.

He kept his eyes on the manly pink frosting as he felt the blazing stare of his teammates on him. He didn’t dare look up from his dessert.

“She...gave me cake.” was all he said to them, to which they groaned collectively.

They had a long way to go.

o-o-o

Natsu’s eyes widened as he watched Lucy switch the trajectory of her aim within a second’s notice, her response to him lunging at her all of a sudden. Natsu was able to catch a glimpse of her fired up eyes before his vision suddenly turned dark. A cold and damp substance smacked him right in the face, the feeling travelling across his arms and legs and permeating throughout his neck. He tasted earth and grime on his tongue, his face scrunching up with the metallic taste. He brought his arm up and swiped it across his face, clearing his vision for only a few seconds before he watched Sagittarius release his arrow, pointed at the ground like Lucy had moments before. He released the arrow, and Natsu’s vision was once again darkened by damp and cold black.

Lucy certainly knew how to use her surroundings to her advantage. Natsu silently praised her for using the mud around them, it almost made him smile as he thought back to the person he once thought Lucy was, back when they went on their first mission together. Back then, she complained over a snowstorm and hid in that Grandfather Clock looking spirit of hers. And now looking at her-well with what vision he had through the mud-she was getting down and dirty with the elements. It excited him, amusing him even.

His sharp hearing heard Lucy pull back on her bow once more, and he swiftly jumped backwards as he wiped the mud away from his eyes once more. The wet earth splattered onto his legs but he’d managed to dodge the brunt force of it.

Gotta stop her from shooting he thought to himself. He glanced down at the section of ground he was about to land on, and with a snap of his fingers he sent his fire blazing down on to the ground. The mudd succumbed to his flames, and turned hard and cracked. He landed atop of it smoothly, the dried pieces of mudd breaking off and hitting his ankles. With no extra second to spare, he launched himself towards Lucy.

Surprise filled her eyes as she took a half a step backwards as Natsu’s hand reached out towards her, adrenaline filling his body with the anticipation of victory.

However, that spirit completely left his body when he felt a hand grab onto his ankle and pull him down. He gasped in surprise as his stomach hit the ground hard, knocking the wind out of him as he gritted his teeth.

“What in the hell-” he said aloud before he turned towards the hand, meeting a pair of sapphire blue eyes piercing into his.

“Nice, Virgo!” Lucy exclaimed confidently, triggering a nod from the celestial being.

She was covered in mud, her pink hair matted up with the stuff, her usually neat dress adorned with the wet earth. She was in a similar position as Natsu, sprawled out on her stomach drenched in mud.

“Thank you, Princess.” the maid saidly plainly.

Natsu smirked at his partner, watching as she smiled back at him mockingly, swiping a piece of mud off of her cheek. “So we’re playing dirty now, huh?”

Lucy crossed her muddy arms. “Nothing dirty about it. It’s my magic, and last time I was concerned you’re the one who decided to play dirty.” she told him, gesturing towards the muddy ground around him. “I was looking forward to a mud bath from the spa, but this isn’t what I had in mind.”

Lucy watched Natsu as he laughed, propping himself up onto his elbows. “Sorry to say you won’t be making it to the spa. But the guys and I will be sure to tell you all about it!” he laughed. “This is the closest you’ll get to a mud bath.” his eyes swept around them, talking about the mud before he returned his look to the blonde.

Lucy closed her eyes in annoyance and huffed. “You boys are too dense to fully appreciate that spa. And this?” she gentured around her. “You call this a treatment?”

“I call this a pleasurable punishment.” Virgo chimed in, making Lucy sigh in exasperation. “Though it seems that Natsu-san wishes to get down and dirty with you.”

Natsu choked, coughing up the rough air in his lungs as Virgo’s words reached his ears. His throat felt dry as his eyes widened, to which he awkwardly glanced off to the side. Virgo had said some racy stuff in the past, that’s for sure, but her choice of words this time around made the fire in Natsu’s body heat up his face to a light pink. He glanced back at Virgo slowly, sweat beading on his temples as she looked right back at him innocently.

“Well, is it not true?” she asked him, looking from Natsu to Lucy.

“V-Virgo!” Lucy stuttered, her face glowing bright red. Her fingers around her bow shook uncomfortably.

“Is there not mud around us?”

Natsu and Lucy exhaled shakily, both of them releasing the uncomfortable stiffness to their bodies. Sure, that was his intention after all, in a matter of terms. He purposely didn’t dry up the ground below the water all the way completely, hoping he could use the mudd to his advantage to make it harder to move for Lucy, though he had no idea that she’d turn the tables on him and use the mud to her own advantage instead. Not to say that he didn’t think that there was a possibility that Lucy would have a plan up her sleeve, she wouldn’t be the person he knew if this were the case. She was smart, unyielding.

Natsu glanced up at the sky. He gritted his teeth as he realized that his time was almost up.

“You’re right,” he began, bringing his palms together. His words caught Lucy’s full attention, she tightened her grip on her bow, bracing herself for Natsu’s next move. His eyes swept down to the mud beneath him, then back at Lucy. He saw her eyes widen, and he knew that she knew what he was about to do.

“So, let’s change that.”

Screw the mud. Time to make things work in his favor.

His hands ignited, and he shoved them into the ground.

o-o-o

Juvia and Gray stopped in their tracks, halting their conversation as they watched the water in the river beside them begin to sizzle, steam billowing upwards to the sky. It reminded Gray of a hot tub, though hot tubs usually didn’t lose water as they heated up.

Juvia’s hair began to frizz up as she and Gray exchanged puzzled looks. Gray felt his face heat up from the steam, making him extremely uncomfortable as sweat pooled around his temples.

“What on earthland…” Juvia said as she watched the last of the water bubble down into the ground, creating streaks of mud in between the old cobblestones beneath the river. “What could be-”

She cut herself off as Gray shot her a look, and she immediately knew the answer.

“Natsu.” They both repeated in unison.

o-o-o

“Virgo!” Lucy shouted, throwing her bow out before her as it vanished with a flash.

“Understood!”

Natsu felt Virgo’s grip on him vanish. His ears picked up the sound of digging, and Virgo’s scent was suddenly dulled from his senses. No matter, he had work to do.

His flames worked almost immediately, spreading across the ground at a rapid pace and drying up the sticky mud, turning it into crust. He pushed against the ground and sprung upwards, running after his flames towards Lucy.

“Time to end this!” he exclaimed, giving everything he had in his stride. He watched as Lucy jumped backwards a little, her eyes darting to the ground and the fire that raced towards her.

The ground began to shake slightly, which Natsu picked up almost instantly. And with a sudden crack, he watched as a muddy figure popped out of the soft ground, an area his fire had not yet touched.

“Now!” Lucy exclaimed as she dashed forwards, leaping a few feet up off of the ground. Natsu’s eyes widened as the muddy figure, who he had quickly realized was Virgo, knelt down to the ground and held out her cupped palms. Her hands caught Lucy’s foot, and she sent the blonde flying up into the air. Natsu stopped in his tracks as Virgo winked in his direction and disappeared with a sparkling flash, right before his fire swept over the ground where she was standing.

Another flash of light caught Natsu’s attention, and he looked up to watch Lucy’s body engulfed in glitter.  He watched as the tails of her top melted away and when the light faded, she was wearing a new black and red outfit. She almost looked like a ninja.

“Sand Barrage!” she called out, throwing her palms together. A huge burst of sand spun in the air from her efforts, creating a sort of twister. The twister broke apart into four parts, and they shot out all around her, slamming into Natsu’s flames and effectively putting them out.

She landed atop of her hand, a little unsteadily Natsu noticed, her feet sinking into the huge layer of sand ungracefully. She grunted softly, but didn’t have time to focus on the ground as Natsu used his fire in his palms to shoot himself towards Lucy. She whirled around with wide eyes as she watched Natsu’s hand approach her waist, his fingertips inches from tagging her. She cried out in surprise, and Natsu was yet again met with darkness. He felt the sand invade his eyes and hair, falling into his eyelashes as he shook his head.

“No fair!” he exclaimed. “Ya don’t see me trying to shoot fire in your face!”

“That’s because if you ever did, you would never see the sun again!” she exclaimed furiously.

Natsu shook the sand away from his eyes only to see Lucy engulfed in light once more, changing back into her Aquarius Stardress. Without skipping a beat, she threw her hands down onto the ground and shot a heavy stream of water everywhere, dampening the sand. She heard Natsu’s advance, and her head shot upwards as she dodged his hand once more.

The two continued this dance of theirs for the next few minutes, Lucy dodging Natsu’s tag attempts and Natsu bending backwards to avoid Lucy’s lips, the mage trying her best to plant a kiss on him.

The ground around them had become nothing short of a disaster. Lucy’s water attack had made the ground soggy and almost impossible to walk or run smoothly on. Their scuffling hadn’t helped the situation either, mixing the wet sand with the dry dirt, which was mud again.

The final time that Natsu dodged her mouth, Lucy glared at him, angry fire brewing in her eyes.

“Get over here already!” she exclaimed, lunging for him once more, only slipping on her own feet and landing face first into the sandy-mud mixture.

Natsu burst into laughter as Lucy raised her head to glare at him, nothing but her eyes visible from under the tan and brown sludge. Her glare made him laugh even harder, making his muscles ache.

“You TOTALLY deserved that!” he exclaimed with glee, his laughter growing as Lucy’s attempt to scramble to her feet ended in her slipping back onto the ground. The agitated look on her face amused him as he made his way over to her to end the game, still laughing at an obnoxious volume.

That is, until he himself slipped in the mud and sand.

He fell face-first for the second time that day, and this time he heard Lucy’s laughter ring in the air.

“Karma!” She exclaimed “Doesn’t feel so hot, does it?!”

“Yeah, Yeah.” Natsu rolled his eyes. “Hilarious.” He propped himself up onto his elbows once more that day, and balanced on one of them to point at his partner. “I’m getting that flag from you! Even if I-”

He halted his speech, his lips parted from his unfinished speech. He stared at Lucy long and hard, making sure that his eyes weren’t tricking him. This made Lucy frown at him with confusion, obviously not seeing what he was currently observing.

“What?” she asked him, blinking slowly. “Is there something in my hair?” she patted her head worryingly, eyes darting around frantically.

“Where’s the flag?”

“Huh?” she frowned at him, her brown eyes big and naive. “What are you talking about?”

Natsu grunted as he hoisted himself up off of the ground onto his knees. “Your flag is gone.”

Lucy blinked at him slowly, and Natsu stared right back at her evenly, unwavering. She was leaning on her side, her left side of her body supporting her weight in the mud. Her key holder was exposed, some of her keys poking through prominently.  

Her face slowly melted into an annoyed one, eyes narrowing.

“Nice try.” she said dryly. “You want me to look away so that I won’t see you coming towards me. That’s the oldest trick in the book, bud.”

“Luce, I’m dead serious.” Natsu countered, his eyes sweeping around them frantically, searching for any sign of something red. “Where is it?”

“Natsu, stop.” Lucy rolled her eyes, reaching for her hip. “I know for a fact that it’s right-”

She stopped talking as her fingertips only touched the green silk of her skirt. Her eyes widened as she slowly glanced down to find that Natsu was right. The flag was gone.

“What?!” Lucy exclaimed, releasing her magic and transforming back into her original outfit of her red t-shirt and black shorts. She patted her side down frantically, lifting her red shirt to see if it had sunk beneath the fabric.

“Hmph.” Natsu huffed. “I’d say I told you so but-”

“Oh shut it!” Lucy fired back, panic rising in her features as she hoisted herself up onto her knees, digging her hands into the earth around her. She threw clumps of sand and mud around her, digging till she reached stone. “No, No, NO!” she cried out.

“This is all your fault!” Natsu exclaimed as he copied her action, digging with all his might.

“My fault?!” Lucy exclaimed, grabbing a handful of mud and launching it in Natsu’s direction. “You’re the one who came at me like a mad man!” The mud ball hit Natsu square in the chest, which did not please him in the least bit. “And furthermore-”

Lucy’s eyes widened as she focused on something behind Natsu, a glimmer of something he couldn’t identify at first sparking in her eyes for the briefest moment. He frowned at her, until it dawned on him to turn around and follow her gaze.

There it was, sticking out of the ground like a newly grown flower. The red poked out of the ground ever so slightly, teasing the two of them.

Natsu looked back at Lucy, who met his gaze with her horrified one.

He smirked mischievously, and he took off running, laughing like a crazy person.

“No!” he heard Lucy exclaim, her breath heavy as she stumbled to her feet, slipping a few times before she dashed after Natsu, head outstretched.

The sky turned darker, signaling that the sun was ready to set.

Natsu cursed as he slipped once more, twisting his leg slightly. This sent him down back into the mud and sand. His scarf was heavy and wet against his neck, sticking onto his lips.

His ears picked up Lucy’s footsteps, and a competitive anger rose in his body.

The orange of the sky began to fade to black.

Enough was enough.

His eyes blazed with determination, and just seconds before the sunset was swallowed up by the dark of night, he launched himself up from the ground and wrapped his arms around Lucy’s waist, making her emit a startled shriek. They landed roughly in the mud, Natsu rolling on top if her and grabbing her wrists, pinning her tightly to the ground.

She stared up at him with her widened brown eyes, her chest rising and falling in perfect sync with his own. His drenched scarf fell halfway onto her chest, her ponytail sprawled out below him.  He looked down at her, studying her face while he caught his breath, grinning from ear to ear at his late-coming victory. His breath made her baby hairs shake, and her own tickled the tip of his nose, which sent exciting chills down his cold back.

“I.” he breathed out “win.” he said with a final breath.

Lucy continued to stare up at him, saying nothing.

Natsu grinned cockily down at his partner as she sank further down into the wet earth. “Too shocked to speak? I get it. But I did warn you that I’d win didn’t I?”

Then, she began to giggle softly, throwing Natsu off guard completely. Her eyes closed, a happy blush dusting her cheeks.

Natsu frowned down at her. Had losing made her lose it? Had the mud gotten to her brain or something?

“What are you-GAH!” he began to ask her, until he let out a surprised yelp.

She opened her eyes and looked up at him, sending confused shock directly to his beating heart.

Her familiar brown eyes were gone, and in their place were a pair of beady black ones with stark white pupils. Her lips curled upwards into a startling smile.

“Piri Piri!”

Natsu’s eyes widened in shock, his mouth hanging open as the girl beneath him flashed him one last smile before he was surrounded in a puff of smoke, his hands sinking back into the earth where he once held her wrists.

The smoke faded, and Gemini blinked up at Natsu innocently.

“Y-You…” he started to say, stammering off into silence.

“Good job, Gemini.” he heard a familiar voice praise the spirit. Her feet sloshed in the earth near him, and he felt her standing above him. “You’re free to go.”

“Piri Piri!” Gemini chanted once more before vanishing in a glittery veil. Natsu continued to stare down at the earth for a few more seconds before he turned his head to look up at the real Lucy, who was flashing him a victorious smile.

o-o-o

Lucy was concerned that she had thrown Natsu into a bad state of shock, watching as he glanced up at her, down at the ground, then back up at her. The charade continued for a couple of minutes before he finally spoke. She had to choke down several fits of laughter.

“When did you…” he asked her, pointing down at the ground to gesture to the Lucy imposter who he had pinned down just seconds ago. His brow furrowed in confusion, looking up at Lucy for the answer that wouldn’t come. She just stared at him, inspecting his face until she saw that it finally dawned on him.

“The steam.” he said aloud, clarification ringing through his voice.

Lucy nodded. “Have to admit that without you drying up the river, you probably would’ve won.” she told him, looking down at the red flag in her hands. “It’s a handy technique really, it’s helped me so much in the past year.”

Natsu remained on the ground, which unsettled Lucy a little. Was he really that discouraged that he didn’t tag her on time? If anything, neither of them had achieved their goal really. She hadn’t even gotten close to plating a kiss on his cheek, she felt like a lovestruck pre-schooler chasing after a boy who believed that every female on the planet had cooties. She frowned down at his back, reaching out to lay her palm on him to offer comfort.

“We should probably-”

Natsu suddenly lunged himself at her, grabbing her waist like he’d done to Gemini, and pulling her down onto the ground, Lucy squeaking in surprise. She felt the mud around her cushion the blow of her landing, the stuff tangling up in her hair. Her back became ten degrees cooler as the sand and mud pressed against her back. She even felt some splashes of the stuff against her cheeks and thighs.

The boy above her had a different aura than the one she had tried to comfort just seconds ago. This Natsu was smiling down at her brightly, laughing with amusement. She’d never been more confused in her life.

“What are you-”

“That was amazing!” he exclaimed excitedly as she looked up at him in shock. “I mean, wow! I never even realized what was going on! Using your spirits to fling you up in the air, and even using those fancy Star Dress things of yours all by yourself!”

A faint blush began to invade her cheeks, cancelling out the cold mud against her skin. The stars had began to come out now, and they twinkled around Natsu’s head in a cosmic dance. She watched the stars and her partner with awe, her heart beating to an unfamiliar tred. His features were lit so brightly, his exciting words almost blending into the beauty of the night sky as she just let him hover over her body, being okay with not being able to move for the moment.

Something shifted in Natsu’s face, and while she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, she realized in that moment that she didn’t want to look away.

“You...really are amazing, Lucy.”

He said it as if it were the most simple thing in the world.

Lucy’s heart pounded in her chest as the words repeated in her head, the sounds turning into ink-blotted text that swam tauntingly before her eyes, text she’d written herself from her novel.

You’re amazing

Breaking the silence between the two of them, Lucy dug her fingers into the mud and swiftly swatched it all upon Natsu’s cheek. She smirked as he glared down at her, bits and pieces of the mud dripping onto Lucy’s chest.

“This look becomes you.”

“Shut up.”

o-o-o

Happy sat perched on Natsu’s muddy shoulder as he and Lucy made their trek back to the guild. Natsu absentmindedly scratched the exceed in between his ears, the poor thing still wet from Lucy’s water attack. There weren’t any hard feelings between the two of them of course, after Lucy promptly told Happy that she’d make him a fish dinner the moment she saw him.

Everyone had slowly made their way back to the guild once the sun had set for good. However, Natsu could easily say that Lucy and himself looked the most messed up out of everyone else. Sure, there was mussed up hair with leaves caught in it, and sweat gleaming on skin, but when the two of them approached everyone else, the stares that they’d received made Natsu feel as though he were naked. Lucy huffed beside him, running her fingers through her ponytail to loosen the dried up mud.

Then again, he might’ve reconsidered him and Lucy’s appearance after catching a glimpse of Levy and Gajeel coming into view. He saw their matted up hair and sweaty faces, which he paid no mind to until he noticed that Gajeel’s belt was wrapped around his waist inside out, his stomach peeking out from his wrinkled up shirt. Levy hadn’t looked much better, with her headband almost falling off of her head and her shirt also rolled up, Natsu slowly began to piece the picture together.

His nose caught a strange scent, and he only had to glance over towards Wendy to figure out the source of the scent. Her eyes were wide and her face was pale, looking absolutely flustered as her stare fell down to the ground.

Natsu grinned. He’d have to confirm something with Gajeel later on.

Natsu and Lucy approached Gray and Juvia, who looked them up and down slowly. Gray raised his eyebrows at Natsu, while Juvia silently giggled to herself.

“Do I wanna know?” Gray asked, lifting up a styrofoam cup to his lips to gulp down the sloshing water inside of it, glistening with ice cubes that he undoubtedly created himself.

Natsu smirked, wrapping his arm around Lucy and pulling her into his side embrace, making her emit a surprised yelp. “We know how to rough it up in a competition!” he exclaimed. He glanced at the wet tips of Gray’s hair. “And what, you two just got your hair a little wet and did some slip and slide?”

Juvia immediately looked off to the side, her face glowing bright red. Gray coughed on his water, hacking up the liquid as Natsu and Lucy looked at each other with confused looks on their faces.

“What’s gotten you two so-” Natsu began before Juvia lunged forward and grabbed Lucy’s arm, prying her free from Natsu’s hold.

“Wh-Juvia?” Lucy asked in surprise before the water mage tugged her off to the right.

“C-Come with me Lucy-san!” Juvia exclaimed awkwardly as the girls left Natsu and Gray by themselves, watching them run over to Lisanna and Erza. The girls gathered in a tight circle, their faces hidden from any nosy eavesdroppers. Faint chatter erupted from the small crowd, but Natsu honestly wasn’t the least bit interested in what they had to say, for the most part anyway.

Girls were too weird.

“Alright, kids!” a booming voice rang out over everyone, who immediately ceased their conversations to turn towards the voice with excitement in their eyes, while some members looked sullen, knowing all too well that their defeat was to be announced.

Everyone made space for Makarov to walk, pooling around the guild master and making him the center of attention. “As usual, these games always bring dear joy to my heart. Nothing beats watching everyone do their absolute best to win!” He took a pregnant pause, allowing everyone to absorb his words before he grinned from ear to ear. “That, and gloating rights.”

Collective laughter and eyerolls spread among the guild members, signaling the desire for their master to get down to business, to which he didn’t disappoint.

“Now, I want both teams to line up single file, girls and boys.”

The circle around Makarov dispersed, teammates joining up with teammates shoulder to shoulder. The effort only took about a minute or so, and then the girls were facing the boys, all of them in a neat and parallel line.

Mira began to giggle to herself, and leaned over to whisper something in Erza’s ear. Contrary to last time, Natsu tuned in his ears to catch what she had said to Erza, who had smirked and nodded her head after listening to Mira’s words.

“We already know that our team won. Why drag it out and give the boys some false hope, huh?”

Natsu heard Gajeel grunt in annoyance beside him, Natsu realizing that he wasn’t the only one snooping on the girls’ conversation.

Makarov cleared his throat. “Now then,” he began, looking to his right towards the female team. “I would like all the female members who have been tagged before sundown to please get out of line and stand off to the side.”

Natsu and the guys watched as Kinana, Laki, Mira, Wendy, Evergreen, Bisca, and Cana all left their places in line to obey Makarov’s order. The girls left in line moved closer together to fill the gaps made by their teammates.

“And likewise gentlemen.” Makarov nodded to the men. “If you’ve been kissed by one of the girls before sunset, please leave the line and join this group over here.”

Now it was the girls’ turn to watch the line of guys shrink. Jet, Droy, Romeo, Bixslow, Freed, Elfman, and even Gajeel left the line. Gajeel had a visible storm cloud over his head, slightly sulking as he joined the group off to the side.

Natsu immediately pointed at the Iron Dragon Slayer and burst out in mocking laughter. “This is too good!” he exclaimed, laughing even harder “Way to go Levy!”

“Shut it!” Gajeel yelled back at Natsu, steam rising out of his head as he muttered something under his breath, which of course Natsu was able to pick up on.

“Still worth it.” he’d said, and quickly took a glance at Levy before adjusting his belt slightly. Natsu followed his gaze to find that Levy’s face began to glow bright red as she grabbed fistfulls of her shirt.

“Levy-chan?” Lucy had whispered to her friend, who began to awkwardly laugh it off and told her it was nothing.

Natsu looked back at Gajeel, a mischievous gleam in his eye.

Alright Gajeel, now I definitely see what’s going on.

“Now everyone!’ Makarov exclaimed, looking left and right at the members who still stood in the untouched line. “Congratulate yourselves on a job well done! You all were able to shine today, living up to the Fairy Tail name!”

On the girl’s side stood Lucy, Levy, Juvia, Erza, Lisanna, and Charle. They all met eyes with the boys across from them. Natsu, Gray, Laxus, Alzack, Happy, Loke, and Lily all equally stared back at them.

“If only I were able to tag Charle!” Happy said aloud. “Or even better, that she would have kissed me to get me out of the game!”

Charle rolled her eyes. “Seems it wasn’t meant to be, Tom Cat.”

Gray smirked. “Nothing I didn’t expect from the girls.”

“Absolutely.” Natsu agreed, crossing his arms. “Even though we totally dominated over them today.”

Lucy rolled her eyes. “As if.”

Erza nodded, agreeing with the blonde. “Try the other way around boys.”

Makarov held his hand up for silence to ensue once more.

“Now for the results!” he announced as his eyes landed on each of the winning members on both teams standing before him before he continued. “If I understand correctly, the correct flag has not yet been confiscated, at least to my knowledge.” he turned to the boys. “Can I assume that this fact is correct.”

Natsu swallowed dry air as he and his teammates exchanged questionable glances, each of them looking hopelessly at the flags still tucked into the winner’s hips. The proud looks on the girls’ faces didn’t help their case either.

“...No.” Loke was the one to speak first. “At least, I haven’t captured it.” he looked at his teammates with a hopeless grin. “I think we’ve screwed up in that department.”

“Way to rub salt in the wound.” Gray muttered under his breath.

“I see.” Makarov replied. He glanced over all the faces of the men for a few seconds before sighing to himself. “I tell you kids all the time that chasing after a woman who doesn’t wish to be chased is frowned upon, and yet the one time it’s acceptable, you don’t pull through.”

A collective amount of groans spread throughout the crowd.

Makarov waited for everyone to silence themselves before he spoke once more. “Tell you what,” he began, taking a quick glance at the girls, who then began to frown to each other. “I’ll make you all a deal.”

The chatter began once more, softly this time, waiting for Makarov to say his peace.

He sighed as he extended his arm towards the girls. “Well, since these girls are the only ones who haven’t gotten tagged, it’s obvious that the flag is with one of them. If you boys can correctly pick who has the real flag, then I’ll make sure all of us get a nice trip to the spa!”

“What?!” everyone exclaimed, some more jubilent than others.

Makarov shrugged. “Eh, I’m feeling generous.”

The winning team of men began to laugh with joy, Natsu’s excitement rising from his core as he saw the sour faces that the girls put on, rolling their eyes at each other and taking swift glances towards the boys while whispering in each other’s ears. The horrified look on Lucy’s face amused Natsu to the highest degree. “Oh, it’s over now!” he exclaimed, high fiving his teammates. “We’ve got this down!”

The girls all looked into the eyes of the boys before them, their arms crossed defiantly.

It was Erza who spoke next.

“Let them try.” she said, glancing at her girls with a confident smile on her face. She flipped her scarlet hair over her shoulders and glanced over at the boys with a condescending smile. “They still won’t win.”

“Oh?” Laxus sneered. “Wanna bet?”

“Absolutely!” Mira exclaimed from the sidelines. She flashed a thumbs up. “There’s no way that they can win!”

Natsu and the others were too caught up in their glee to listen to anything the girls were saying to bring them down. This was it, this was their chance to win once and for all.

“You only get one chance.” Makarov informed them. “So choose wisely. It has to be a unanimous decision from the whole team, so all of you over there can join your team to decide on your choice.”

The boy’s team all gathered together before their options, muttering to each other in a low volume as to not let the girls hear their conversation.

“Well?” Loke asked the guys around him, glancing over to their competition. “Who are we going with?”

“It’s not Juvia.” Gray informed them. “She showed me her flag when our sparring was over and done with.”

“Not Levy either.” Gajeel said, nodding his head confidently. “Her flag’s blank. Didn’t see our crest on it when she tied it o-”

He cut himself off as everyone immediately began to stare immensely at Gajeel, who began to choke on his words, coughing as if to deflect the words that he was about to spew. His eyes cautiously darted around his teammates, and with a low growl of aggression, he hastily finished his sentence “It ain’t her. Moving on.”

Natsu grinned. Oh, he was so gonna have some fun with this.

“Okay, well, what about the rest of them?” Loke asked everyone, his strategically calm voice filling their ears. “Do we have any solid proof or any suggestions as to who could have it?” Loke turned to Natsu. “You were the one to find Lucy. Did you happen to see anything?”

Natsu frowned before shaking his head. “The flag got lost in the mud around us for a few minutes, but I wasn’t able to tag her before the sun set. Besides, when she went to pick up her flag it was covered in mud. I didn’t see the Fairy Tail Crest.”

Loke nodded. “Alright. Anyone else?”

Freed and Bixslow frowned to each other. “We saw the flag on Lisanna’s hip before we were ambushed.”

“Erza...bakery…” Elfman muttered in shame.

“We’re going about this wrong.” Laxus said gruffly, catching everyone’s attention. “We can’t fully go off of what our eyes did or didn’t see. We gotta get into their heads, think like them a little.”

The boys digested Laxus’s words for a minute, each of them deep in their own thoughts trying to solve the riddle before them.

“Well? Any ideas?” Laxus asked them, frowning to himself.

“It can’t be Charle.”

Everyone turned their attention to Happy. He held his paws together calmly, a look of concentration on his face. “My beloved is smart, and she can dodge attacks pretty quickly.” He glanced over towards the white feline and his eyes stopped on the red piece of fabric tied at the end of her tail. “But she wouldn’t take on that responsibility.”

“What makes you say that?” Gray asked him.

Natsu felt something touch his calf, and he looked down to see Happy looking up at him confidently, his paw touching Natsu’s skin. “She had someone she wanted to look after.” Happy said, obviously referring to Charle and Wendy’s partnership.

Natsu smiled and ruffled Happy’s fur affectionately. “Damn right, Little Buddy.”

“Alright, So Juvia, Levy, and Charle are definitely out.” Gray reported. “So that means it’s between Lucy, Lisanna, and Erza.”

A small bit of laughter filled the air, and everyone turned their heads to the source.

Their choices of females stood calmly before them, their faces looking all too smug as they smiled at the boys haughtily, copying Erza’s confidence in that they thought they couldn’t outsmart them.

The girls who’d been tagged were giggling softly, covering their mouths to try to muffle their laughter.

Natsu made eye contact with Lucy, and in response, she smiled coyly at him. Her eyes swam with a secretive glitter, and it set Natsu’s spine on a competitive edge.

She was mocking him.

o-o-o

Lucy’s stomach danced with butterflies as she smiled cockily at Natsu, the glare he shot back at her making her giddy with competition.

The flag was still safe and sound, there was no way they’d figure it out.

She watched as the crowd of boys broke apart, their faces serious and bodies stiff. Lucy took a swift glance to her left and right, her teammates confidently standing their ground like she was.

“Well then, have you made your decision?” Makarov asked, to which the boys nodded slowly.

It was Loke who stepped forward, raised his right arm, and pointed at their choice.

o-o-o

Natsu had an uneasy feeling in his stomach.

Their choice...it was too easy.

She blinked at Loke slowly, frowning in the direction of his finger.

“Oh?” Makarov questioned. “What’s the logic behind this choice?”

Loke adjusted his sunglasses cooly. “It seemed like the obvious choice.”

The pit refused to leave Natsu’s stomach as he was convinced that they’d made the wrong choice. It had seemed so perfect at the moment, even he himself had been so convinced at the time that they’d made the right choice.

And as soon as Loke pointed to one of the girls, Natsu knew that they screwed up.

“She’s the only one that none of us would’ve gone for.”

“She’s stealthy enough to not give up anything.”

“She looked too proud eating that piece of cake!”

“It’s her!”

“It has to be!”

She smiled at them through her scarlet hair, and with another smug grin, she whipped her flag off of her hip and held it out in front of her in all its glory.

It was blank.

The boy’s jaws dropped to the ground in astonishment as the girls cheered and laughed, celebrating their victory.

Erza walked over to Loke, who stood there in a stunned silence as she flung her flag playfully over his face.

“Better luck in the next games.” she told him sweetly. “We told you that we’d outsmarted you.”

“But…” Gray frowned, pointed at Erza and then directed his attention to the gleeful group of girls who still held unopened flags on her hips. “Who has the right flag then?”

The girls laughed once more, making Gajeel burst out in an annoyed grunt, telling them to quit their act.

“Yeah!” Elfman exclaimed, putting his hands on his hips. “Stop laughing and man up!”

Erza’s gaze went from Loke to Elfman, who instantly took a step backwards, still shaken up from their encounter in the bakery.

“Man up?”

Everyone turned to a pouting Levy, who rolled her eyes and untied her flag from her hip. She held it up for the guild to see, the blank red square shining in the moonlight.

“Let’s get something straight here.” she began, her pout turning into a sly smile. “Manning up isn’t something that we plan on doing. Ever.”

It was then that Juvia stepped forward next to Levy, and held her blank flag up with her right arm.

“You see, why would Juvia and her teammates have to man up when we’re fine being the strong women that we are?” She said proudly, as Lucy stepped up next to her. The blonde flashed everyone a confident smile as she untied her flag and held it out in front of her.

“We’ve managed to take all of you down with just a small piece of fabric.” she told them proudly.

Her flag was also blank.

“So why would we man up when our womanly vibes were enough to win?” Lisanna chirped, flashing her blank flag in the air.

Everyone was silent, their eyes wide as they digested the girls’ words.

“Th-Then that means…”

All eyes went down to Charle, Happy’s eyes bulging out of his head.

But, she turned her nose up at all of them, bringing her tail down towards her front paws to swiftly pull off the red tie on her tail. “Hmph.” she closed her eyes, unfolding her flag and holding it out for everyone to see. “As if we’d resort to stooping to become a bunch of tomcats.”

The blank surface was blinding against the moonlight.

“What?!” multiple voices exclaimed, pointing at the blank flags that the girls proudly held out before them, frustration filling their voices and bodies.

“Cheaters!” Bixslow exclaimed, putting his hands on his head as if he were about to fall over. “How in the hell is this a fair win when none of ya don’t even have the right flag?!”

“Cheaters! Cheaters!” his babies chanted angrily above his head.

“That’s a new low, even for you guys!” Gray exclaimed, crossing his arms. “What gives?!”

“How dare you accuse Juvia of cheating!” The water mage exclaimed. “Juvia and her team would never cheat!”

“Get your facts straight!” Erza retorted. “It’s so obvious the sun has gotten to all of your brains!”

Everyone began to yell at everyone, bickering loudly.

Makarov’s voice boomed out loudly, telling everyone to cease their yelling at once.

Makarov looked at each of the members a second at a time before sighing to himself, calming down his voice.

Natsu, however, remained oddly silent.

He usually was the first one to jump into a tiff like the one that happened moments ago, however there was still something eating at him. His eyes danced on the flags in each of the girls’ hands, trying to figure out what it was exactly that they were missing.

A certain puzzle piece that wouldn’t fit...a math equation that was missing a variable….an optical illusion….

“The girls have not committed any cheating of any sort.”

He looked over each girl quickly, his eyes scanning their bodies until they landed on something that he’d previously overlooked, something that he didn’t even think to consider.

An illusion…

Natsu’s eyes widened suddenly, drowning the accusations of his teammates and the proud laughter of the girls as he suddenly put his mind to work.

It wasn’t that they were missing a piece of the puzzle, but that they were just looking at it from a different angle, paying more attention to certain pieces than others.

Paying no mind to the piece that really mattered.

“How?” Gray asked aloud to which more laughter erupted from the girls as the sound of footsteps filled Natsu’s ears.

“It’s because you’re unable to think like a woman.”

Everyone turned towards the person who decided to walk forward into the blank space between both teams. Her blonde ponytail swished gracefully behind her as she smiled to herself softly.

Natsu watched as she tucked in her muddy flag into the side of her shorts.

His stomach sank to his feet as he watched her hands slowly move from her hip and raise themselves up to her ponytail, grabbing onto her blonde locks as if to tighten the red tie that held her hair together.

She made eye contact with Natsu once more, and when his eyes widened in understanding, she flashed him a cocky smile.

“It’s time that you all…”

Her hands grabbed onto the red tie in her hair and she swiftly undid the knot, setting her hair free to fall and cascade over her shoulders in a blonde waterfall. The wind picked up as she did so, making her hair sweep over her brown eyes. Her intoxicating scent filled Natsu’s senses and she slowly unrolled her red hair tie, releasing it from its roll and holding it up for everyone to see.

The Fairy Tail Guild Crest shone brightly in the moonlight, every male member into a stunned stupor.

And with relish, she finished her sentence.

“...opened your eyes.”

Nobody spoke.

That is, until somebody did.

“Are you FUCKIN’ KIDDIN’ ME?!”

[hauteseeker]

Part two of my southwest road trip consisted of my long drive through New Mexico to reach my first city Sedona, AZ. It also touches on the rest of my time spent in Phoenix. On this leg of my journey, I experienced a little less landscape and a bit more modern living. Some excellent food and reconnection with both friends and family.

Day 4: Santa Fe to Sedona

I got an early start and made my way West to Sedona. The six-hour drive was effortless and slightly distracting because there’s so much to see and so many times where I wanted to get out and take pictures. There are these moments of a real “western” scene with mountain backdrops and large freight trains passing through. It’s very surreal. I was waiting for a cowboy to ride past me at some point and time.

It was highly recommended by my friend to stop at the Acoma Pueblo, a community that has been in existence since 1100 a.b. The “Sky City” is a great stop to make before crossing the New Mexico border into Arizona. The Pueblo is known as,”a place prepared and ready to live.” The oldest remaining habitat is 15 miles from the interstate and sits on top of a mesmerizing hill. Tourist can visit the town, alongside a tour guide who most likely has direct family ties to the community. Our guide’s grandparents still have a home at Acoma. During the tour, many silly and somewhat ignorant questions asked of the people who lived in town, oh and to me, as I was the only black person there. Those curious Caucasians got a double dose of a minority culture that day!  It amazes me how so many people forget that this 2017 and the modern amenities that happen in the biggest of cities, most likely occur in the smallest of towns, especially when it comes to technology. Besides the unavoidable ignorance, the overall experience of this historical foundation not only insightful but compelling. I would love to go back to celebrate a holiday with the people of that community one day.

    I continued my drive making stops only to refuel. I drove by reservations, shops, and signature Navajo restaurants as I continued my passage to Sedona. I did make one pit stop in the city of Holbrook to see one of three remaining Wigwam Motel in the country on Old Route 66. The histroic site is nostaligc and fun. I can only imagine the types of families who were fortunate enough to travel and stay here. It makes me think of all the gimmicks hotels do now to attract guests. I can easily see this property getting a few improvements and turning into the “Wigwam Luxe” or something like that. What was once fashionable always comes back around.

  A few short hours later I arrived in Sedona. A beautiful city built on hills and red soil about two hours away from the Grand Canyon and Phoenix, respectively. After arriving in Sedona, I desperately needed a recharge, mostly a phone recharge and overall stretch after driving for several hours straight. I found a great deal using the site Homeaway to score a reasonably priced hotel in Sedona, prices in this region can easily range between $175-$500 during peak season. I got a nice stay at a resort hotel and timeshare not including tax for about $100.

Later that night, I grabbed dinner at The Hudson, a place I was planning on dining at once I made it to Sedona. Lucky I was a party of one, so I was seated pretty quickly on the outside patio during the busy Saturday night. Unfortunately, the sun had already set, so I was unable to take in the scenery in the area. The Hudson sits on a hill, giving patrons great views of the landscape. For dinner, I got the special for the evening, a Cornish Hen. The dish featured mixed vegetables such as peppers and asparagus as well as cornbread dressing with raisins. My taste buds were treated to an early Thanksgiving feast. The dinner and ambiance were overall excellent. After a huge meal, I was more than ready to make my way back to the hotel and chill out. It was only  9 p.m., when I passed out for the evening.

Day 5: Sedona to Phoenix

The next morning I got up around 6 a.m. to hike and watch the sunrise at Red Rock State Park.  I did not expect the challenge that lied ahead of me. The climb up Bell Rock was pretty moderate to hard in terms of hiking. Bell Rock is about 4,000 ft above elevation. I don’t I went quite that high, but I was certainly up there. The hike was amazing, I had an incredible amount energy and was up for another round of hiking, but I had to keep it moving for the next part of my trip to Phoenix.

Let the Hike to Red Rock begin!

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After my morning hike, I repacked my things to make my way to Phoenix. About a two-hour drive South of Sedona. The winding roads through the cactus-filled mountains were steep, deep, vast, and acutely elevated the whole way through.

I made great timing arriving in Phoenix and met up with my lovely host for the next three days Olivia. She was previously my a coworker at Bloomingdale’s. Just like me, she is all about exploring. We immediately hit the road, after dropping off my rental car, and made our way to the downtown Phoenix area check our their art district. It was Sunday, so it was pretty deserted while we were there, which is good when you don’t want anyone blocking your photo opportunities! The wall art there is impressive. My favorite was this abandoned house that was painted with all different types of graffiti and sketches. In the same neighborhood was a modern coffee shop that we stopped by to grab some drinks to cool us off in the sweltering Arizona heat. It’s the epitome of minimalism, something that would be perfect in Wicker Park neighborhood in Chicago.

After we walked around for a bit, we both decided that the next move had to be for food. Earlier in my planning, I found out the area was hosting a Taco Fest, so we made our way to Scottsdale to check it out. It was a fantastic food festival. Super organized, fair prices, and fabulous tacos! Compared to ones that I have been to in Chicago, it was supremely better. They had several different tents to grab drinks, VIP access for optimal margarita tasting(if you were trying to spend some big bucks) and a lot of food vendors. I think what sold me were the prices. Tacos were only $2 each! I spent $20 on seven tacos and a drink. Not bad at all!

After a long hot day, we made our way back to her place. It was still pretty nice outside, so we went to the pool to soak in the hot tub and spill the tea. We had a lot to catch up on from the past two years that we hadn’t seen each other. It was great to talk about where we were and where we so desired to be. A fabulous way to end my first night there.

  Day 6: Phoenix, Scottsdale, and Mesa

The sixth day I was able to catch up on some long ignored e-mails as well as some news and gossip. Crazy how much you don’t pay attention to those things when you are busy soaking up a new place. It’s almost like the rest of the world stands still.

After we got dressed, we went out to explore some of Olivia’s favorite spots, which are fabulous and Instagram-worthy. We made our way to Luci’s for brunch. The grocer/restaurant was charming. The food, eh. The best thing about the meal was the drink. An “Arnold Palmer” like a concoction of green tea and watermelon flavored lemonade.

After that, we made our way to AZ Pops to grab some popsicles. Super nostalgic. I can’t think of the last time I had a homemade popsicle like the one at AZ Pops. I chose the peach and prickly pear combo. It was very different; prickly pears are flowers found only on a particular type of cactus. As I later learned at the Desert Botanical Garden, they can be made into candies or eaten raw.  The popsicle was great, and I even had a chance to chat with the store owner. Another person on my trip who had some pretty strong ties to the Chicago area( her husband was born and raised in Oak Park). We also stopped into some nice stores in the area. One, in particular, had a friendly Cali vibe, which is to be expected in this area of the country. Clothes were cute, but sizing was limited.

  We were both parched after a light afternoon of walking so we made our way to the Royal Palms Resort for a refreshing beverage and a little exploration. The hotel has amazing architecture, a Spanish Colonial Revival villa that was once used as a winter home back in the 1920’s. The resort is at the base of Camelback Moutain and is absolutely fabulous.

    After our daytime romp of the lavish resort life, we made our way to dinner at Cornish Pasty. A pleasant looking restaurant with the feel of an Olive Garden on the outside and an underground dive bar on the inside. That was my first impression, at least at this location. I had never heard of a pasty and was excited to try the British born dish. A pasty is associated with Cornwall, England, a once well-known mining community. The original pasties would be filled with both meat and vegetables as well as sweets, each on their respective ends of the pasties.

The pastys at Cornish are so varied that anyone from carnivore to vegan can find something that they like. I decided to try to Roast Beef Sarnie. The pasty was a combination of house roasted beef, red and green bell peppers, portabello, onions, swiss and cheddar blend served with a horseradish sour cream sauce. Oh my gosh, so good! Everything blended well and was perfectly seasoned. The beef wasn’t too tender, and the sauce was the perfect addition. A chef recommended another sauce which was excellent as well, not sure what it was called though. Something to note about Cornish Pasty is the dishes come as they are described, you cannot pick and choose the ingredients you want inside the pasty. It is literally all or nothing. Go with the all; it’s totally worth it.

Olivia was dead set on making it to the Fountain Hills neighborhood to watch the sunset. So we quickly got dressed and dolled and made our way to the high-priced neighborhood. We found our way up to Copper Wynd Resort, looking absolutely fabulous. I swear, I had a Waiting to Exhale moment here. It reminds me so much of the area that the film was shot. I know the movie is old, but buildings last a long time so I could be right! We arrived just in time to see the sunset and get some glamour shots in as well.

After Copper Wydn we made our way back into the downtown Phoenix area to see what bars were popping on a Monday night. Not too many. We found our way into the Valley Bar, where we grabbed another drink(excellent drink prices), talked life, and finished up another fabulous night.

Day 7: Phoenix to Chicago

Day seven was an early start to a very, very long day. We kicked things off with a trip to the Desert Botanic Garden. I would be surprised if there is anything else like it in the world! The garden was amazing. Cactus from all different parts of Central and North America, other desert found foliage, as well as a majestic butterfly garden that was locked down tighter than the White House. Seriously, they were doing the most to keep those butterflies in that garden! We continued exploring the gardens and came across beautiful sculptures as well as some very quirky volunteers who taught us a few things about our surroundings.

one man + one leaf =

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  After the garden, we had just enough energy before lunch to make it to the landscape wonder, Hole in the Rock at the Papago Park. The hike to the hole in the natural formation is a quick 7-minutes up the rock. This is an ideal place to catch at sunrise or sunset if your timing is right.

  After our morning of walking and hiking, we proceeded to have a mini sweet and savory tour of the city. We made our way to República Empanada, a super cute restaurant located in the South Side Heights neighborhood of downtown Mesa.The empanadas were incredibly delicious. We were there for the lunch special of two empanadas plus rice and beans. We both added classic Coke De Mexico’s and enjoyed a less than $10 lunch on the cute patio in the back of the restaurant.

We also stopped by one of Olivia’s favorite spots to grab dessert, The Coronado.  They made one of the best brownies I ever had, and it didn’t contain one bit of dairy or eggs. Amazing!  We then proceeded to search for some and came across one that featured a mesh of vintage goods, artifacts and other apothecary furnishings called, The French Bee. After perusing that we made our way to a hipster-ish bar to chill and kill some more time before my flight and dinner.

It’s an unspoken rule, that if you find yourself in a city where you know someone and have a pretty good relationship with them, that you let them know you are there. At least, that’s what I try to do. Even if you never have a chance to see the person, at least you let them know you were in town. This day in age, it’s always good to let a few people know you are around. Seriously. If anything for safety reasons. Anyways, I had told my cousin who lives in Arizona that I was visiting. Shame on me that I waited until the morning that I was leaving to see if we could meet up. I know, tsk, tsk.

I asked my cousin Eric to meet us at this restaurant called Fire and Brimstone located at Barnone in Gilbert. Barnone is an innovative retail/workspace for handcrafted goods. It features everything from handmade stationary to experimental winemakers. Great place to craft a small business. At Fire and Brimstone, I opted for The Fire and Brimstone pizza. The 12-inch pizza came dressed in spicy tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, jalapeños, house-made merguez sausage, and cilantro. It was by far one of the freshest pizza’s I have ever tasted! I had a couple of slices that I devoured on my flight back to Chicago. After my week-long adventure, this was a beautiful night, over pizza with friends and family.

I would arrive back in Chicago at 4 a.m. that Wednesday morning.

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  Reflections Part Two

During the second half of my trip, I was able to reconnect with friends and family. During that time, a lot was discussed that challenged me to consider my relationships in general. Does this person care about our friendship? If so, what type of effort are they putting in? Am I doing my part as well? The trip also resurfaced ideas of changing my own personal landscape. Many people move to an area to be fully submerged so that they can break into a certain industry or career. Others, move far from it and reach a market untapped allowing for success in that arena too. It’s a reminder that growth can happen anywhere, you just have to be the one to make it happen!

Travel Trips

If you are wondering how I managed to have such a successful trip solo, here are my ‘haute’ Do’s and Don’ts:

Do Plan ahead. I looked into accommodations, flights, rental cars, and connections before my trip. This allowed me to use my time in the most optimal manner. I would be surprised at the end of the day how much I was able to get done. Something I need to implement more in my everyday life as well.

Do get Advice. There is nothing wrong with asking people for things to do, especially if they live there. I asked my friend who grew up in Arizona if he could recommend some things to do in Santa Fe. He gave me my whole ‘cultural’ itinerary. I made sure to connect with my previous co-worker and cousin as soon as booked my ticket to the area.

Do stay hydrated. There is a lot, and I mean a lot of exposure to the sun in that area. Be sure, especially if you are driving to buy a couple of liters or packs of water, so you never run out. Oh, and snacks too if you are in a time crunch.

Do look for discounts. You can ask anybody who knows me well. I know a lot of things to do, but I don’t spend a lot of money to enjoy them. If you are traveling, make sure you look into resident discounts, reciprocal memberships, library affiliations, free entry days, Groupon, etc. It will save you money.

Do try new things. Going to Ojo and experiencing the hot spring was one of the highlights of my trip! I am hooked and want to try every natural spring out there!

Do carry two phones. I chose to bring my work phone with me as well as my phone. Best decision ever. It’s great for navigation and music if you are forgoing a tradition map. Plus, you never know what will happen, better to have an extra device, just in case.

Do savor the moment. It is such a blessing to travel. It’s beautiful to see the sunset into various shades of purple, yellow, and orange hues. To look at the starts, uninterrupted by city lights, to see the landscape barely touched by humanity. Breathe it all in. You never know when you will be back.

Final Thoughts

I am so overjoyed that I had the opportunity to visit these two great states and tackle all the unique cities in between. I was exposed to not only massive amounts of sun, people, culture, art, food, and community. I am hooked on the beauty of the southwest and look forward to seeking more of it in the future. Don’t be surprised if you see a future post of my travels through Utah and Denver or something within that range!I am so blessed to have had this soul seeking experience and can’t wait to revisit both places!

    Albuquerque to Phoenix: Seven Days Seeking the Southwest Pt.2 Part two of my southwest road trip consisted of my long drive through New Mexico to reach my first city Sedona, AZ.

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17 Things to See and Do in Taiwan

Posted: 9/3/2019 | September 3rd, 2019 I used to live in Taiwan for a few months as an English teacher. I loved the time there and have always felt the country was really under appreciated. So, in this is a guest post by Carrie Kellenberger from My Several Worlds and an expat living in Taiwan for ten years, she lists out all the amazing things you should see and do there. Every country in Asia is beautiful, but Taiwan is special for many reasons. The people are warm and hospitable. In March 2019, Taiwan was listed as the happiest place in East Asia. While it might be a small island, you would be amazed at the never-ending variety of sights and fun things to do here. With over a hundred mountain peaks above 3,000 meters, over a hundred hot springs scattered around the island, both golden and black-sand beaches, nine national parks, world-class museums, glittering skyscrapers, stunning temples, and a huge number of night markets that are second to none, Taiwan has something that everyone can enjoy. To this day, nearly 14 years after I moved here, I still think Taiwan is one of Asia’s best-kept travel destination. Here are some of the best ways to spend your time in Taiwan: 1. Eat, Eat Eat!

The national pastime in Taiwan is eating. Taiwanese, both adults and children, are very work and study oriented, so their lifestyles demand healthy food that is available on the go. Moreover, there is always an abundance of fruits and vegetables, so visiting a local market can be a delight when you find out how cheap it is to eat fresh food. As a result, Taiwan has become an epicurean’s playground. The food scene is an international smorgasbord of culinary delights, for every budget and almost every diet. Night Markets While there are five-star international restaurants of every variety throughout the country, the night markets are where the real gastronomes go. They promise to keep your belly full while your wallet remains relatively unscathed. There are over 30 night markets in Taipei, New Taipei, and Keelung (and over 70 night markets across Taiwan). If you’re not sure which one to choose, visit this list of night markets in Taiwan and take your pick. My personal favorites are Shilin, Keelung, and Roahe Street in Taipei. Here are a few things you should try: Xiao long bao, also known as soup dumplings, a favorite staple food here. They are made out of a thin pastry folded into a type of bag that is then stuffed full with a meat-and-vegetable mixture and a tiny amount of soup, then garnished with raw ginger and soy sauce. Biting into one of these is a flavor explosion in your mouth. Plenty of street vendors at night markets offer fresh xiao long bao for around $2 USD for a basket of 10-12. There is really no reason not to try them. I’ve yet to meet a visitor to Taiwan who hasn’t loved their xiao long bao experience. I promise you will not be disappointed. Oyster vermicelli Oyster omelets Beef noodle soup Deep-fried chicken Tian bu la (a type of fish cake fried with coriander with a dash of pepper and spice) Sweet Taiwanese sausage or BBQ on a stick Stinky tofu “Coffin bread” (a tasty bread bowl shaped like a coffin) Pig’s blood cake (It’s made from pig’s blood, sticky rice and soy broth and tastes much better than it sounds, I promise!) Shaved ice Zhen zhu nai cha (Taiwanese bubble tea) Taiwan Beer (it’s the most popular local beer) No matter what you decide on, you’re sure to have a great meal at a low cost while experiencing Taiwanese culture at its very best. You’ll be amazed at what you can buy for dinner for just $5 USD! You’ll definitely find some things that you hate, but you’ll also find things that you’ll love. It’s all part of the experience, right? 2. Visit a Taiwanese Teahouse

Tea culture in Taiwan is wonderful, and there are many options for tea lovers. Maokong Gondola – This gondola will whisk you four kilometers to a mountain peak in a glass-bottomed cable car, from which you can view the tea plantations built into the side of the mountain as you zoom up. You can catch it at the Taipei Zoo MRT station; a ride costs 120 NT ($4 USD) each way. Once you’re at the top, there are several winding paths for a pleasant mountaintop stroll and a great selection of teahouses to choose from when you’re ready to enjoy a cup of fresh mountain tea. Jiufen – If you’re heading out of Taipei, Jiufen is one of Taiwan’s most popular tourist destinations, owing to its appearance in the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. This seaside mountain village offers some terrific shopping opportunities, as well as all the different kinds of foods you see in the movie. It’s one of my favorite places, because it is also home to some beautiful teahouses in the most glorious setting. Imagine sitting at the top of a mountain, looking out over the ocean in the comfort of a traditional tea house. It is truly a magical experience, especially if you can get there for sunset. Go on a weekday to avoid the large weekend crowds. Jwu Jiu Teahouse – If you make it as far south as Chiayi, be sure to find Jwu Jiu Teahouse, a hidden gem that is like taking a step back into the past. Jwu Jiu is a traditional wooden teahouse set above enormous stone ponds filled with hundreds of giant, brightly colored koi. Feed the fish while sipping on your tea, and enjoy some traditional dim sum in the loveliest setting you’ve ever seen. The grounds belong to a local family, and the teahouse uses a well that is over a century old, in which the water still runs deep and pure. The owner has kept most of the original structures and bricks, plus a hundred-year-old Osmanthus tree, which is associated with many traditions in China and Taiwan. If you’re a history buff, you’ll enjoy the teahouse’s long history, displayed with pride and obvious care. 3. Check out the Northern Coastline

Head to the coast for some incredible lunar-like landscapes at Yehliu Geopark. There are some unique, otherworldly rock formations, including one that looks like Queen Elizabeth (though it took over 4,000 years to form) that are a popular tourist attraction. Try to get there early to beat the crowds. 4. Hit the Beaches

The beaches of Kenting on the southern tip of the island offer fun in the sun. White Sand Bay is the most popular and a great place to soak up the sun, swim, snorkel, or even go diving (just keep an eye out for jellyfish!). Other great beaches are South Bay and Little Bali Bay. 5. Soak in the Hot Springs

Taipei has its very own active volcano in its backyard, and because of the volcanic activity in the area, Beitou Hot Springs enjoys a steady stream of visitors and locals who love to bathe in its healthy waters. Prices start around 40 NT ($1.30 USD) per person for a soak in the hot springs, making it a very affordable choice for anyone looking for some R&R. 6. Go Island Hopping

The beautiful islands of Penghu just off Taiwan’s western coastline will delight your sense of wanderlust and are especially well known for their golden beaches. This island archipelago has islands that are all distinct. Boats will drop you off at one island for a few hours and then take you to the next one, so you can literally go from snorkeling to observing sea turtles to wandering through traditional aboriginal villages made out of coral in a single day. 7. See Old Taiwan

Two groups of islands that make up the Kinmen Archipelago off the west coast of Taiwan, just a couple miles from mainland China — and they are old Taiwan at its best. Here you’ll be able to see some traditional architecture, and there are also insightful museums that highlight the ongoing tensions between the People’s Republic and Taiwan. 8. Get Off the Beaten Track on Orchid Island and Green Island

Located just off the southeastern coast, these lush islands are a treat to visit. Here you’ll find hiking, swimming, diving, and amazing hot springs. You can also get further off the beaten path and have an adventure by renting a scooter to traveling around the islands yourself! 9. Explore the Green Mountains

Grab a scooter and head up into the green mountains, which extend over five ranges the length of the island. If you want to stretch your legs, climb to the summit of beautiful Jade Mountain and watch the sunrise; this beautiful peak is almost 4,000 meters above sea level, making Taiwan the world’s fourth-highest island. 10. Visit Wuling Peak on Hehuan Mountain

If you’re still craving some climbing and hiking, head to Wuling Peak on Hehuan Mountain, around 3,275 meters above sea level, making it another good hike for anyone looking to spend more time outdoors. But what really makes this place special is that the peak is so high, you can look down into a sea of clouds below! 11. Go Hiking in Taroko National Park

Ready for another city break? This national park offers visitors a chance to hike through mountainous terrain and gorges, and you can even stop to dip your feet in swiftly flowing mountain rivers. Covering just under 100,000 hectares, it’s one of only nine national parks in Taiwan. Admission is free. 12. Head East

To really enjoy Taiwan’s majestic beauty, don’t forget Taiwan’s eastern coastline. The east coast highway has some of the most dramatic coastal scenery in the world, from plunging sea cliffs and splashing surf to beaches, nature reserves, and rural towns a world away from the big city. 13. Witness Some Chaos

Check out the feeding frenzy of the markets in Taipei, or enjoy a stroll around cool Ximending, the gay district and Taipei’s answer to Tokyo’s Shibuya. Ximending boasts a massive outdoor plaza behind the Red House (a well-known cultural landmark) and a pedestrian shopping zone filled with the latest fashion trends, coffee shops, restaurants, and local artisans. Give yourself bonus points for checking out all the super cool graffiti; you won’t find it on the main thoroughfares, but if you venture onto some of the smaller side streets, you’ll soon find yourself in world of brightly decorated alleys and lanes. 14. See Tianhou Temple

While you’re in Ximending, it’s worth stopping by one of the oldest temples in the city, Tianhou (also known as the Ximending Mazu Temple, after the in-house deity Mazu, goddess of the sea). Around since 1746, it’s one of three major temples in Taiwan from the Qing period. It’s located on a main thoroughfare — but it’s very easy to miss the entrance. Stepping through the entrance to this beautiful Taoist temple filled with mythological creatures, smoky incense, lucky goldfish, and people paying respect to the gods is truly a surreal experience. You’d never know this quiet oasis is in one of the busiest areas of Taipei! 15. Explore Fo Guang Shan Monastery

If you have your own ride in Kaohsiung, I strongly encourage you to stop by Fo Guang Shan Monastery and pay homage to the monks that live there. An ultra-Zen monastery open to the public, the complex is massive and stunning, leading to the Great Path of Buddhahood, a broad pathway flanked by eight identical pagodas. You can explore each as you walk your way up to the Big Buddha, the highest seated bronze Buddha in the world. I’ve been to many temples and monasteries in my lifetime, but this one takes the cake. 16. Visit a Taiwanese Aboriginal Village

There are many knowledgeable local guides that can introduce you to the aboriginal way of life in Taiwan. The Formosa Aboriginal Culture Village near Sun Moon Lake is the most popular destination to learn more, but it’s certainly not the only one — there are lots of villages to choose from. 17. Take Part in the Pingxi Lantern Festival

One of the coolest events in Taiwan, the Pingxi Lantern Festival involves releasing hundreds of paper lanterns into the sky. (Many newlyweds also include this meaningful tradition as a part of their wedding celebration.) If you don’t want to brave the crowds, you can easily purchase a lantern and light one on any of Taiwan’s beaches. Taiwan is very environmentally friendly, so make sure you go with the eco-friendly paper lantern options that disintegrate, leaving no residue, and don’t cause fires. The company My Taiwan Tour also currently offers biodegradable paper lantern tours in Shifen. *** There are many things about Taiwan that make it an incredible place to live; it’s easy to take some of those things for granted once you’ve been here for a while. I frequently hear that people think Taiwan is very Westernized, and while I agree that it is to some extent, there are still plenty of authentic Taiwanese experiences to be had! Taiwan is and continues to be an unexpected travel destination that continues to delight visitors to this day. There is no place like it! Canadian expat Carrie Kellenberger has been living in Asia since 2003. She moved to Taiwan in 2006 and became a permanent resident in 2012. She loves entertaining guests and travelers to Taiwan. You can read about her adventures and life there at her blog, My Several Worlds. Book Your Trip to Taiwan: Logistical Tips and Tricks Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my two favorite search engines because they search websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is left unturned. Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay elsewhere, use Booking.com as they consistently return the cheapest rates for guesthouses and cheap hotels. I use them all the time. My favorite places to stay in Taipei are: Formosa 101 – This hostel is located right near the Taipei Tower and the Tonghua Night Market. They offer free breakfast and have a laid back lounge for relaxing. Meander Taipei – The staff here is really helpful and the beds are comfy. They have free breakfast as well as other daily activities available. Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for ten years. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are: World Nomads (for everyone below 70) Insure My Trip (for those over 70) Looking for the best companies to save money with? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel! I list all the ones I use to save money when I travel – and I think will help you too! Photo credits: 9 – David Hsu, 15 – Yi Chen, 16 – Huicheng1967 The post 17 Things to See and Do in Taiwan appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site.

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Taking the $57-a-Day Challenge in Prague

In 1991, the last time I set foot in Prague, it was the Czechoslovakian capital, and things were so cheap to a Western college student bearing hard currency that if you ordered an ice cream cone and didn’t like the flavor, you were tempted to throw it away and get another one. Beer by the half-liter cost pennies. The most prominent crowds downtown were not of tourists but political gatherings in Wenceslas Square during the early days of democracy.

Things have changed.

Stare Mesto, the Old Town, is not a frugal paradise. Swarovski crystal shops and restaurants selling overpriced Czech cuisine abound. Tourist crowds line up to pay 120 koruny, about $5.20, for scoops of ice cream plopped into the unholy offspring of a doughnut and a sugar cone known as a trdlnek. (Forget throwing it away, I wasn’t buying it in the first place.)

But the city is still a relative bargain. On a frugal-minded visit to what is now the capital of the Czech Republic, I decided to set my budget at the typical daily wage of a Prague resident, or at least what several online sources told me it was: 1,300 koruny, or about $57 a day.

Walking around Stare Mesto is free, as long as you bring a guidebook and are willing to eavesdrop in brief spurts on other people’s tour guides, as I did to hear about what the skeleton on the famed astronomical clock on the Old Town Hall stands for. (“I’ll give you a hint, it’s not gluttony.”) But most of the time, you’ll want to be out of there. Luckily, moving around Prague couldn’t be easier. A three-day transit pass on the official Litacka app cost me 310 koruny for Prague’s fantastic tram and subway system. With the pass on my phone and thus no need to validate tickets or go through turnstiles, it felt like a punctual, hygienic and omnipresent friend was constantly giving me a ride.

For lodging, my cousin Michael, a journalist based in Prague, suggested the Zizkov neighborhood, a once downtrodden and still not entirely uptrodden neighborhood across the train tracks east of downtown. That’s where I found Hostel Sklep, where I paid 538 koruny a night for a private room furnished in a style I’d call Pre-Ikea Austere. But it was comfortable enough, the shared bathroom clean enough, and the free breakfast met all five of my criteria for a great frugal meal: It was cheap, generously portioned, nongreasy, traditional and tasty, -thanks to fresh bread and a zesty egg spread called vajickova pomazanka that I loved.

But free and cheap will only get you so far in Prague. The city’s rich cultural attractions do not always cater to scrimpers. I found that out Day 1 at the Museum Kampa, a private modern art institution housed in a revamped mill complex on the Vltava River that weaves through the city. What began as a collection of works by exiled or persecuted Czech artists under Communism, now occupies galleries that meander off a staircase that leads up to a lookout above.

I cheaped out on the 270-koruny all-access ticket, and instead paid 100 koruny to see just the permanent collection. That was a mistake: it was totally unclear what was permanent and what was not, and no one spoke enough English to tell me. I wandered into galleries and was frequently ejected; by the time I found someone who I could communicate with (in French), she told me there were only two galleries included in my ticket and I’d already been to both. Apparently, word had spread among staff that a certain bumbling tourist had been too cheap to shell out for the whole museum.

From then on I set my cultural budget at 300 koruny a day, and did much better. Sure, you can enter the Prague Castle complex and wander around for free, even stepping a few feet inside the 14th century Cathedral of Saint Vitus. But my 250-koruny ticket got me inside the castle itself, as well as Golden Lane — tiny cottages nested within the castle’s exterior walls that were originally inhabited by archers and for a short time in the 20th century, by Franz Kafka. It also gave me full run of the Cathedral, to take in the eclectic 19th and 20th century stained glass and (more intriguing to me) a marvelous 17th century oak relief depicting Prague’s Old Town when it was four centuries less old. Another day, I shelled out 290 koruny for the Museum of Communism, which gives a colorful (if a bit snarky) history of a drab time.

Some places were still too expensive, so where I could, I substituted cheap activities for expensive ones, giving up the 15th century Jewish cemetery, (350 koruny, as part of entry to the Jewish Museum in Prague) for the New Jewish Cemetery (where a 20 koruny guide and map makes a walk through the vine-covered graveyard much more interesting). Opened in 1890 and with a striking gap in burials for several decades during and after World War II, the cemetery is best known as Kafka’s burial site. I approached his grave with low expectations, but ended up chatting there with a middle-aged Slovak who recalled for me how in his school days Kafka was underground literature. (The author’s work was banned until 1989.)

A 20-koruny visit to the Blesi Trhy Praha, which translates as Prague Flea Market, and a free stroll through Sapa, Prague’s Vietnamese market, which resembles a cross between a warehouse and a strip mall, kept me largely under budget. I say “largely” because, well, the beer in Prague is really good.

On two of my four nights in town, I did break the cap by not stopping at one (or two) extra-crisp Czech pilsners, an overdraft that I feel most beer-worshipping Prague residents would understand and approve. My cousin Michael certainly did, as he took me out for “a” beer on a Monday night that turned into four or five starting at the Prague Beer Museum with its large (but not cheap) selection of Czech beers and wound to U Sudu, an underground labyrinth of high-arched brick ceilings and packed with beer-drinking students, a few of whom we dragged into 20-crown games of foosball. I commented on how the place was surprisingly full late on a weeknight. “You never know what’s going to happen in Prague,” Michael said. “Sometimes Monday nights are the best nights.”

Another night, one beer turned into three at Vinohradsky Pivovar, a highly regarded brew pub (disclaimer: Michael’s friends are part-owners). I loved the pilsener there so much that for the first time I can remember, I voluntarily drank it even though an IPA was available.

I should note that I also occasionally ate well on the cheap. I kept snack spending to a minimum by packing Tatranky bars, old-fashioned chocolate-covered wafers, that cost me five to 10 koruny at the supermarket. Pulling them out of my pocket turned out to be a neat party trick, evoking double-takes from Czechs surprised to see a foreigner eating a childhood favorite. It was more or less how I would react coming across a group of Chinese tourists in Times Square unwrapping Ding Dongs.

Aside from a couple of bargain Vietnamese meals at the market, I stuck with Czech cuisine throughout. A cafeteria-style restaurant, Havelska Koruna, was amazingly located right in Stare Mesto. There’s a slight markup for the location, and a 39-crown add-on if you can’t resist the fruit dumpling topped in creamy sauce, but it was still a great deal. Czechs were tickled I ate there as well. “That’s where we used to go when we were younger and had a hangover,” said Kristyna Pekarkova a Prague native who I met through Michael. She is 24.

The best bargain meal I had — easily satisfying all five frugal criteria — was the glistening quarter-duck stuffed with potato dumplings at U Bansethu. And the most unexpected was at Dejvicka Nadrazka, a place several Czech friends told me I “had to” go because it was one of the city’s last restaurants housed in a train station.

I invited the Prague-dwelling beer expert (and New York Times contributor) Evan Rail to join me there for lunch. When I arrived, he told me my Czech friends must have been playing a practical joke, for this was the diviest of dive bars, with a food menu limited to two kinds of sausages and a disc of marinated cheese. “My wife said, ‘What are you going to have for lunch, beer and zelene?” he said. (Zelene is a cheap peppermint liqueur.)

Actually, I think my friends had meant for me to go at night, when things are livelier and divier. But I kind of liked the daytime crowd, which included a man with a bushy white mustache reading the paper over a beer and a diminutive older woman wearing a red vest over a furry periwinkle sweater who struggled to hoist herself up onto a high bar chair. And the food actually turned to be pretty good: we ordered one of everything, 50 koruny for a hot sausage, 25 for a pickled one, and the cheese for 45.

Still, I felt I owed Evan a make-up, so we hopped a tram to the Holesovice neighborhood where I treated him to an espresso and dessert at Emil Gaigher cafe, a traditional spot serving goodies like medovy trojhranek, a triangular five-layer slice of cake held together with caramel and cream and topped with ground walnuts for a bargain 17 koruny, and a caramel coated cream puff called a vetrnik karamelovny for 24.

Taking the sausages and sweets together as a whole, the meal was greasy and sugary, but also traditional, cheap, delicious and filling. There’s no need to meet all five frugal requirements at every meal.

Seth Kugel is the former Frugal Traveler columnist and author of “Rediscovering Travel: A Guide for the Globally Curious,” an informal philosophy of travel.

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Heat meat, eat.

Temperature when cooking is one of those rabbit holes that I would encourage everyone to dive down head first. It is probably the easiest way to improve the way you cook. It can be as simple as knowing which temperature results in your perfect egg. It also greatly enhances the results you get from your different cuts of meat. If you haven’t had a look at why grading is degrading check it out here. Every South African bemoans the fact that steaks are always cooked last at a braai and always done so on a fire with not enough heat. Beer and timing have only a small part to play.  

 *Short rib, glazed in a reduced, thickened pressure cooker juices. 

There are plenty of different ways to heat stuff up. From the pan to a pan filled with water, from the oven to a pizza oven, from an open wood fire to a briquet heated Weber. They are all great and there are many more. I find the pressure cooker very underrated. Maybe it was just underrated by me. Mignon won a pressure cooker at squash recently, I think it was an irony gift for someone who could not handle the pressure. She swears it was because she showed such poise on the court. Either way, she bagged us a cracker of a prize. It cooks fall off the bone tender chicken in 18 minutes.

* Every had an inkling that you need to know more about the different cuts of meat?

The other day we did beef short rib, pressure cooked in a bath of soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic and chilies, white wine and some other odds and ends like bay leaves, sesame oil and tomato paste. We pulled it out and stuck it in a piping hot wood fired pizza oven to glaze. The sauce clinging to the ribs like a shower curtain in a breeze. It was dead simple and relatively quick. It was disproportionately delicious to the effort. I felt bad. I felt stuffed and content and really bad.

* Sometimes when you cook it to fall off the bones, the bones fall off

If you have never cooked with a pressure cooker there are a few basics you need to be aware of. In order to raise the temperature you need to raise the pressure. In order to raise the pressure you need to trap steam in the pot. Steam is needed and therefor so is liquid. This means seals and safety valves need to be looked after. Once you understand all that, you are good to go.

 *Safety valves and seals

There are basically two types of pressure cookers, electric ones and stove top ones. If used correctly, both will do the same thing. The electric ones have some added safety features and keep track of time with alarms and predetermined functions. A cellphone and a stove top one will do the same thing and probably last many moons longer.

 *Pick your poison 

The reason that things cook quicker in a pressure cooker is because the temperature is higher. The pressure also does some very cool things. The time saving is the obvious, particularly on your traditional low and slow cooked tougher cuts. But the idea that you are literally forcing in flavour to porous foods is really nifty too, particularly to ones that love picking up flavour. Potatoes in a pressure cooker pick up the flavour of what it is being cooked with, spectacularly. it doesn’t matter if it is the spices in a curry or rosemary and garlic in straight up super quick potatoes. 7 minutes for silky potatoes.

 Pressure cookers also don’t need to be used to cooked final product from start to finish. Don’t get me wrong a mid week stew that takes 20 minutes from start to finish is awesome. Just bear in mind that one of the few drawbacks is that your sauce can be a little thin because all the steam is stopped from escaping. You don’t get the reduction you normally would. You will need to reduce it after or thicken the sauce.  We stir in some water and cornstarch when we are going for quick lazy suppers. Chicken and mushroom stew in a flash while your rice simmers.

 * Nothing to look at yet. Out of the pressure cooker prior to glazing 

Your pressure cooker really comes into its own, when you realize that it can make short ribs gelatinously sticky in less 45 minutes. It means that you can throw sticky asian short ribs on a fire by the time the fire is just starting to get going. It means you can have smoked ham hocks done in 45 minutes, cooked and cooled for a summer salad in the time it takes to chop the salad stuff and heat the bread. Its one of those things that is a proper kitchen gadget that you will use time and time again.

 In the past some people bemoan its safety credentials. I think that is a relic of the past and almost all your concerns can be alleviated by cleaning the vents properly and not over filling it. Also don’t cook things that will absorb all the liquid in the pot. There is a little bit of a learning curve. You can’t see the food you are cooking and your intuition about what is going on inside can be a little off at first with the higher temperature.

It is old school, but an old school is a good school.  

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Spiralizing for weight loss

If you don’t know my story already, you can read it here. Here’s the gist: I lost over 30 pounds, and I did it on an #inspiralized diet.

That’s right, I spiralized my way to the body I wanted!

In today’s blog post, I’m going to dive more into the diet aspect of my journey, less the exercise and fitness part of it. I’m going to share more about what I ate, how I used spiralizing to stay on track, and I’m also launching our new spiralized meal plans!

First off, let me preface with the 3 principles that guided me throughout this journey and still do to this day:

Make it a lifestyle, not a diet.

While I did have a weight loss goal date in mind (I originally wanted to lose weight for the photoshoot for my first cookbook, Inspiralized), I didn’t view that “goal date” as an “end date.” I viewed that as the jumpstart to a healthy lifestyle. Once I reached my “goal weight,” my focus shifted, I set new goals, and I just kept continuing my healthy lifestyle I had built while achieving that initial weight loss goal.

Since it’s a lifestyle, life happens. I follow a strict 80/20 rule, where I eat real, whole foods 80% of the time and let myself indulge 20% of the time. And I indulge, my friends – I’ve been known to crush a package of Pepperidge Farms Montauk cookies.

Take a week – 5.6 days is 80% of your week, so have a healthy Sunday through Friday and then Friday evening through Saturday evening, you can treat yourself, if you’re feeling the need for a treat! Wake up on Sunday and commit to getting back on track. If you know you have plans on a Wednesday and want to indulge, let yourself enjoy Wednesday, but then keep Friday low-key (skip the wine with dinner and say no to dessert.)

Recovery is key.

I can’t stress this one enough. If you are having a bad morning, afternoon, or you find yourself munching out in front of the TV at night, be mindful. Stop yourself – never, ever say, “Well, I’ve already messed up this day, so whatever I’m going to start fresh tomorrow.” When you come to and realize what you’re eating, stop yourself, ask yourself do you really want to feel bloated and unhappy in the morning. Most likely, you’ll say no.

I always recommend drinking tons of water for the rest of the day – even if that’s right before bed. This helps flush out your system and help your body start to detox. Even if you save yourself 1 slice of pizza, that’s a savings of around 300 calories! That’s a LOT. Over a week, that’s 2,100 calories, which is almost 2.5 pounds a month of extra weight gain! See where I’m going with this? You’re NEVER “too far gone”.

The next day, try to make it your healthiest day. Don’t starve yourself – just drink a lot of water and eat very clean. That following day, you’ll wake up, and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your body recovers. Your body is designed to naturally detox – so let it!

Diet over exercise, every time

Once I stopped looking at exercise as a means to weight loss, I started losing weight.

Sure, if you want to see weight loss very quickly (which isn’t as maintainable long term), eat super clean and exercise for an hour a day, every day. Of course you’ll lose weight – and you’ll feel strong and amazing. However, that’s not maintainable for most of us – life happens, time gets away from us. All of a sudden, it’s 5pm on a Wednesday, you planned to workout, but your best friend just got a promotion and she wants to go out for drinks to celebrate. What now?

Well, first of all, let me tell you this: no flat tummy is going to make you happy like quality time spent with your best friend. So, spend time with your friend – live life! If you’re happy, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is easier, TRUST ME, I’VE BEEN THERE. I’ve been that terrible friend who cancels dinner because she doesn’t want to overeat.

How do you combat a missed workout? EAT HEALTHY. You can’t outrun a bad diet (you’ve heard that before, right?) However, you can make up for a missed workout with a healthy meal. Abs are made in the gym, but what’s the point of all that gym time, if you’re not revealing them in the kitchen?

What I’m trying to say is this: if you’re a busy person and can’t find the time to workout (I’ll let that excuse slide), don’t stress out. Don’t give up. Just eat healthy – simple as that. I used to guilt myself into going to the gym, because if I didn’t, I thought I wouldn’t see the weight loss progress I wanted. If I missed a workout, I’d eat poorly saying to myself, “I didn’t workout, so whatever!”

One day, during my weight loss journey, I couldn’t make a workout. So, I decided to eat a bit cleaner than usual – I skipped the 3pm snack, and I didn’t have dessert. I woke up the next day and saw that the scale was 0.5 pounds lighter. Ever since that day, I stopped beating myself up over missing workouts. I look at workouts as a means to get fit, feel good, tone, and have time for myself. I aim to workout 5 to 6 days a week, but if it’s 3 or 4, that’s okay – and I still maintain my healthy weight, because my diet steps up to the plate on those days.

It’s all mental.

Like running, I find health eating to be a complete mental challenge. If someone gave you the following two options, what would you choose?

Eat clean: feel incredible, be confident, have energy, be happy.

Eat unhealthy: feel lethargic, lack confidence, be unhappy.

I think we’d all pick option 1, right? You control the actual motion of putting food in your mouth. You’re not a baby, no one’s force feeding you! Remember that – you actually decide the foods you put in your mouth. It’s honestly as simple as that. Choose to put healthy foods in your mouth and treat your body like a temple!

Now, I realize this is all easier said than done, because when we’re presented with a piping hot slice of pizza at 1am or chocolate frosted cake for someone’s birthday in the office, it seems impossible to resist. Remember this: while it may be mentally impossible to resist, you have your next line of defense, because it’s not physically impossible to resist. You control what you eat – so just say no thank you. Make all of these healthy choices throughout your day/week, and it’ll lead to weight loss.

This also helps me: if in the moment, you really NEED that treat, just take it, take a bite and then set your plate down. You’ll still enjoy the social element of being part of the office birthday cake or the drunken pizza, but you won’t overdo it. You can always have a bite and what you’ll realize is that a bite is all you ever really need, so take it and enjoy what really matters: hanging out with your coworker, bonding with your friends, whatever.

My final point is this: never, ever, in a million years, feel GUILTY for refusing an unhealthy food. Let your friends tease you all they want (although you should probably consider getting new friends if they are that insensitive!), but you’re the one who’s going to wake up the next day looking good, feeling good, and being well-fueled and nourished to conquer your day.

How I started – The First Steps

I’m always asked, “How did you start? What were the first steps you took?”

Literally, I just committed to making healthy choices at every turn. That’s called a lifestyle change, not a diet program. I didn’t create this elaborate plan. I just took every moment literally as a choice. A choice for instant gratification or a choice towards a healthier me.

Remember what I said about 80/20? I committed to that. I don’t eat anything processed 80% of the time – I eat real, whole foods.

It was in the afternoon when I committed (that’s when I found out my cookbook photoshoot date.) After work, I cooked one of my spiralized recipes for dinner and when my husband asked me if I wanted some ice cream for dessert, I said no. It was so hard to sit there on the couch while he ate that delicious, creamy gelato, but I did it. I made one decision that night and kept making healthy decisions. I didn’t workout in the beginning, because I didn’t want to be extra hungry from the workouts, so I focused on my diet. I lost almost 5 pounds (mostly water weight) in that first 7-10 days, which proved my point: it’s all diet, and all I have to do is make the right decision most times.

My tips for those moments at night when you get a hankering for a sweet snack: have something healthy (a piece of dark chocolate, a banana with some almond butter, etc.) My favorite way to combat these cravings is to make a peppermint tea with steamed almond milk – the almond milk is a bit sweet when steamed, and the peppermint tea cleanses the pallet, giving you a fresh sensation. Try it!

Meal Planning and Spiralizing

After that first week, I made a fitness plan for myself, and I started meal planning.

In my meal plans, I ate something spiralized for 100% of my dinners and about 75% of my lunches. For breakfast, it was usually a smoothie, granola, avocado toast, oatmeal, or something quick like banana and almond butter.

Spiralizing is great for weight loss for a few reasons, but most importantly, you don’t feel like you’re eating diet food while eating #inspiralized. Sometimes when I look at some of these diet plan meals, it’s like steamed chicken and broccoli every night. The key to being successful with a healthy lifestyle is making sure you’re not falling victim to boredom.

Some of my favorite spiralized recipes to eat were:

Breakfast: Oatmeal with almond butter, mashed raspberries, and banana slices Snack: Handful of raw mixed nuts and dried raisins (or chopped pitted dates) Lunch: Pesto zucchini noodles with white beans and avocado Snack: Kombucha or a green juice and rice cake with hummus or celery Dinner: Turkey meatballs with sweet potato noodles and tomato-basil sauce Dessert: Chocolate protein smoothie (banana, vegan chocolate protein powder, almond milk, blueberries, ice)

On days when I was on a recovery day and eating extra clean, I’d skip the dessert and the mid-afternoon snack.

Here’s an example of a typical fitness plan, now that I’m trying to tone and define, rather than lose weight:

Sunday: 45-minute spin class + 10 minutes of abs Monday: 30 minute spin class + 15-30 minutes of lower body lifting and HIIT-style exercise Tuesday: 4 mile run + 20 minutes of upper body lifting Wednesday: 45-minute spin class + 10 minutes of abs Thursday: 20 minute spin class + 30 minutes of lower body lifting and HIIT-style exercise Friday: 45-minute spin class + 10 minutes of abs Saturday: Rest day or a light workout

And that’s my story! Eating Inspiralized you’re always guaranteed to eat a lot of vegetables and you’ll never sacrifice flavor. You’ll eat real, whole ingredients, but feel like you’re at a restaurant eating a flavorful meal.

If I had to estimate my daily caloric intake in the beginning, it ranged from 1,200 calories a day to 1,600 calories a day, depending on how active I was. In three months, I lost about 25 to 30 pounds and now, I have maintained a 30-35 pound weight loss since.

If nothing else, just remember this…

… everyone has to start somewhere. This was me, on the left, on day one! The girl on the right is someone I never thought I could become, but I took every day by day and eventually, I achieved the body and lifestyle I dreamed of. You can too!

Buy the Inspiralizer

Inspiralized Meal plans

I challenge you to eat Inspiralized for a week and see how you feel! To launch the year, I’ve created weekly meal plans (Vegan and Gluten-Free) that will take the guesswork out of lunch and dinner for the week. I encourage you to follow along with me – these are the types of weekly meal plans I made for myself when I was trying to lose weight – they’re full of vegetables, lean proteins, and you’ll feel like you’re eating something completely different every day.

Join me and thousands of others over on the Inspiralized Facebook Community and motivate one another to keep on track of the meal plan – share images of your food, ask questions, troubleshoot recipes, and get excited about eating #inspiralized! Meaghan and I moderate this community, so you’ll see us check in everyday!

Click the below images to learn more about the meal plans and purchase:

Source

http://inspiralized.com/spiralizing-for-weight-loss/